Through A Mirror Darkly
by LastMartian
Summary: When an accident happens during a ley line trip, Rachel finds herself in a world completely changed from the one she left.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.**

**A/N: This follows my story, "A Dish Best Served Cold". It's not necessary to have read that before this; the only two things you need to know are: 1) there is an established Ravy in this universe and, 2) Rachel is currently going to the Ever After twice a week, one normal day and one day split between lessons and research into saving Ivy's soul.**

**Prologue**

"Rachel Mariana Morgan! Focus for once in your life! I don't want to be cleaning up your remains."

I sighed yet again. I was still trying to master ley line jumping, and Al wasn't making it any easier. I had already picked up on focusing on the destination, thanks to the crash course given to me by Newt when I had been stranded here by Lee Saladan. I had even managed to make several trips on my own to home, or, more specifically, to Ivy. Ivy was so happy to see my ability to leave the Ever After on my own, that she tried dragging me to our room for a more enthusiastic reward for my hard work. Al wasn't happy being left in the line waiting for me and he made his displeasure known to me. Despite having the sexiest girlfriend in the world, I had a hard time staying aroused when I was sneezing every five seconds. Needless to say, Ivy was overjoyed (and a little anxious) to welcome me home the next day.

The fact that today was only a half day for studies made Al even more short tempered. Al was expected to make progress on tutoring; my lack of progress was making him even harder to be around. I supposed that it was much like trying to teach something a little more complex to a kindergartener, but that analogy always seemed a tad too demeaning, despite how close to the mark on how Al made me feel.

I was having difficulty trying to go to any other location besides Ivy. I could envision the location just fine, but translating that to travelling there was where I was hitting a wall, hitting a wall almost literally one time. I had had several almost accidents; luckily Al was there to pull my butt out of the fryer, as it were. I could almost get there, but I would sometimes get stuck in some kind of in-between space or end up at a completely different place. Al had given me a long lecture on how interdimensional travel works, in an attempt to prevent me from getting stuck again; unfortunately, much of what he taught went completely over my head. He finally likened it to a frog jumping from one lily pad to another; the water in-between was that space where I would find myself stuck. That I could understand.

The problem was, it was more like lily pads in a river, where they were constantly moving along with the flow. Ley lines should really be called ley rivers, as the flow of magic was just that: a flow. It was one of the difficulties of working ley line magic; you had to attune yourself to the stream and allow it to flow through you. I had successfully done so with my own ley line, which I had an affinity to. I could pull on that line from a distance due to that affinity. Connecting to a different line was more difficult, as the line had different flow rates and intensity. If you were unprepared for it, the line could easily overwhelm you. I had a harder time adjusting to the new line enough to successfully jump to that location. Sure, it was easy enough latching onto a line to blast someone or spindle energy, but ley line jumping required an almost intimate connection to the ley line itself.

Thankfully, Al was not being the cruel bastard he could be, but the reason why was hardly more comforting. Newt had recently become interested in my education, especially with my increased visits to the Ever After. She had started attending all my lessons, which was rather surprising; she was often so forgetful, that it would have been less surprising for her to not show again after the first lesson. Al wasn't particularly pleased to have Newt here at each lesson. Before, Al could be lax in some aspects and teach at his pace; now he had to answer to Newt about everything that was being taught. If she didn't like the way Al was teaching me, Newt would be sure to voice her displeasure. Unfortunately, this meant that I was often the brunt of Al's anger at being monitored so vigilantly.

"Al, we've been at this for hours. I'm exhausted; can't we take a break?" Staying connected to a ley line for long periods of time often wore me out. I was practicing a line jump attempt, which sounded really odd, even for me. I was essentially practicing practicing. Al wanted to be sure that I was getting the basics down before making any further attempts at jumping. I had heard him exclaim that an 8 year old could grasp this faster than I could; his poor attitude on the matter was definitely not helping. At any rate, I had to stay juiced up for long stretches, which was wearying on the body and mind. I was barely standing right now. I felt like I could sleep for a week at this point.

Al waggled his eyebrows at me. "That's what she…" A loud _harrumph_ from Newt stopped that tired old line from completing. If there was anything worse than Al's annoyance was his libido. Ever since I started coming to the Ever After twice a week, Al had made it a point to try to hit on me twice as hard. Despite his high standing now among demons, he felt the need to ensure that I was only working with him. He probably felt that, if I was sleeping with him, my loyalty wouldn't be swayed by another demon. I tried telling him he was barking up the wrong tree but he wouldn't listen. Coming onto me while in Ivy's form was a low blow, and I blasted him with ley line energy for even thinking about it. I had to bring Newt in on that case, as Al was determined to see me punished for my temerity. Since then, he hadn't appeared as Ivy.

"Fine, student, you may take a break. Please continue reading about ley line transportation. I expect to see better results when we reconvene in an hour." With that, Al disappeared, leaving me with Newt. Newt had actually been better in the past few weeks than I had seen her before; I wish I could say it was all due to me, but I hadn't done anything to have caused this behavior. I was just happy to be dealing with a somewhat sane Newt as opposed to the one I was used to. She was actually remembering things that we discussed, and would often work with me to better my understanding of who (or what) I was.

"Never mind Gally," Newt exclaimed. "Like most of the male demon population, they have very little patience. It's why most of the teachers were female and why the most excelled students were the girls. It's no wonder that we became the most powerful and dominant sex. Males would often be jealous of the power and prestige that females held."

Demons had originally been a matriarchal society? _Interesting_. Of course, with only one female demon now present, it had slid into the present patriarchy, as Newt rarely involved herself in politics or governmental work. It would really explain why Newt was so interested in me; maybe I looked like a way to return to the past society for her. _Of course, she had been the destruction of that society_…I still didn't know why Newt had gone on a murderous rampage, but I suspected it might have been the cursing of demons to become witches. Learning that had been a major blow; being a witch was my identity from birth. To lose that and become a demon overnight had been a trying time for me. I had come to accept it somewhat. Maybe Newt couldn't handle that strain; the strain caused by the elves when they destroyed her world. I had to wonder if she had been personally been affected by the curse; maybe a family member or loved one was remade into a witch and had to leave the Ever After. Waking from my thoughts, I noticed that Newt had started speaking again.

"…business to attend to, so I need to leave you with Gally. He will resume your lesson when he returns." With that, she popped out on the room, the quick whooshing of air in the empty space left behind the only reminder that she had actually been there. I sighed again, then cursed myself for doing so. Over the past few hours, it had felt like I had sighed more than I had spoken. Of course, dealing with Al was trying at best, no matter his mood.

An hour later found me still reading the enormous book on ley lines and their uses. I really hadn't made much progress, as I kept re-reading the same passages over and over again. Not only was the book very technical, which made it above my head, I was tired enough that what I read made little sense to me. I was still on the fifth page of the chapter when Al jumped back into the room. Satisfied that it appeared that I was actually doing what he asked me to do, he moved over to his seat, where he was undoubtedly preparing new ways to criticize my performance. He stopped for a moment, looked around briefly and got a big smile on his face. _Great_. He noticed Newt being gone, so the kid gloves were being pulled off.

"Rachel Mariana Morgan, where were we?", he started with delight. As he started to speak again, a chime sounded throughout his rooms. Al cocked his head, as if listening to some sound that I couldn't hear. He nodded his head. "Well, aren't you just the lucky one, my itchy witch? We're having guests. Time to see if you can handle the social niceties while they are here." A sneer had settled on his face; undoubtedly he felt empowered by the lack of Newt's presence. Yet another sigh escaped my lips.

"Al," I couldn't keep the exasperation out of my voice, "I'm not here to play maid or hostess. You're supposed to be teaching me ley line jumping, which I've yet to master. Shouldn't we be working on that instead of having a soiree?" I really had no hopes that Al would listen to me; his ego was too enlarged to take anyone's opinion over his own. It probably didn't help my cause that I was partially whining. I was tired and grumpy; playing nice just didn't wash with me right now. I stopped myself mid-sigh, as I didn't want him giving me grief over my lack of "respect".

"Now, now, _student_," he emphasized in a manner that showed his ire, "we will graciously allow these… _neighbors_," another glimpse of his temper, "to come see us. We mustn't look the part of an ungracious or unwilling host. Perhaps a few short hours would allow you to gain the composure you need to finally line jump." Al walked away from me, but I could hear him muttering under his breath, "slowest learner, even more so than children".

His memory must be good, because the last demon child was born over 5000 years ago. I had originally wondered how that had impacted demon society, to suddenly stop having children. Once I had found out that witches were those "children", I vowed to never speak of this knowledge to another witch, Inderlander, or human, because the lash back would be awful. Witches would have to go into hiding to escape the "_justice_" that would be mete out. No witch would be safe if the knowledge that we were descended from demons ever leaked out to the public.

My introspective was interrupted by a whooshing of air around me. I found myself stripped of the clothing that I wore here: a pair of comfy jeans, a green cotton shirt, and a nice pair of sneakers. It was quickly replaced by what is called a "sexy French maid" outfit. I had seen them worn often at Halloween, but I would never be caught dead wearing one. _Well, I guess never is no longer never_. I'm sure Al was laughing his ass off right now, knowing that this would piss me off to no end, especially considering my maid comment earlier. I was more ticked that I was essentially being excluded from the meeting or whatever it was; I was to be the servant and nothing more. I was really tempted to be the worst servant possible, but I didn't want to chance facing Al alone without Newt present.

I felt another sigh building inside of me, but I rolled my eyes and moved on. I often hated the situation I was in, beholden to Al and Newt as I was, but I would put up with it for years if needed. Every week, I had the chance to research on saving a soul, so that my roommate and girlfriend (_I still blush at that_) wouldn't have to live her second life without her true essence. I would wear anything if it meant that I could save Ivy. Squaring my shoulders, I proceeded to the kitchen, where I found several trays of food and drink already prepared. I grabbed the tray of beverages, perhaps a big too forcefully, as I had to juggle the tray slightly to prevent them from spilling. _Need to stay on Al's good side right now_…

I made my way into the formal sitting room, which was opulent compared to his previous dwellings. Al had spent a large amount of the money he made on my tulpa making skills, just to impress the occasional guest. There were high back chairs with ornate scrollwork on them, surrounding a circular wooden table with similar scrollwork. An ornate runner was placed on the table top, with a vase of exotic flowers on top of the runner. Expensive artwork adorned the walls, excepting the wall with a gorgeous fireplace. There was even an Oriental rug underneath the table and chairs. It seemed like a waste to me, but what did I know? Being rich was an oddity to me. It was as if one started caring about things that they never cared about before. I had no illusions that I would one day be rich; I'd settle just to get steady work for a change.

"Ah, here she is now!" exclaimed one of the 3 demons visiting. He was wearing blue jeans with a white t-shirt, a brown leather jacket completing the look. His black hair was perfectly done (_almost too perfectly_), as if it were sculpted. I remembered a TV show back around the Turn that the look came from, but I couldn't recall the name of the show or the person. "Come, come, love; join us."

This demon at least looked somewhat normal. Of the other 3, Al was the most dressed for the occasion, in his normal green velvet coat and stockings. One was wearing what looked like a caveman outfit, with long unkempt hair and an accompanying large club that was propped up against his chair. It looked more like a cartoon version of a caveman than what a real caveman would have worn. The last one was in a Roman soldier outfit, complete with helmet, shield and spear. It made me nervous to have those two present; they looked more like bodyguards of a sort than actual guests.

I turned to the demon who spoke to me, extending my tray to offer a drink. He graciously took one, giving me a smile and a nod. _I guess demons can be courteous, if they choose_. I turned to the other two, but neither moved to take a drink. I served Al last, in hopes that I might have irritated him. He simply smiled at me, which quickly turned into a smirk as he surveyed the outfit he bestowed upon me. I sneered at him, not caring if the others saw my response. I tried to move toward the kitchen, when my arm was grabbed. I almost spilled the drinks in my surprise, which would have easily become a "teaching" moment from Al. Luckily, I managed to keep them steady as I turned to the demon who held my arm. It was the leather jacket one, who impressively managed to beat out Al in his leering ability. _Is it a male demon thing? He either wanted me or something from me, neither of which enamored him to me_.

"Rachel Mariana Morgan, isn't it? I came here to specifically see you. Please stay with us. Hicpacth, please give this lovely lady your chair." The caveman got up from his seat, moving to stand behind the speaking demon. A quick glance at Al showed me that he was worried. Worried for me or for a potential lost resource was yet to be seen. "Please, Ms. Morgan, take a seat. I've been looking forward to speaking with you." Shrugging, I set my tray on the table, taking the empty seat proffered me. I slightly turned towards the speaker, in effect blocking Al out. There is no way that I would ever take up any offer this demon had for me, but it never hurt to put Al in his place. Let him sweat the few moments before I turned this demon down.

"Thank you, Ms. Morgan. My name is Nesbiros. And yes, I am here specifically for you. I couldn't help but notice the problem that you are experiencing with ley line transportation, so I wanted to come and offer up my services to tutor in this and many other things. Perhaps a different teacher might succeed where others had failed?"

I let a small smirk appear on my face before quickly extinguishing it. _No need to antagonize Al too much, as that could backfire against me. At the same time, I don't want to outright say no; no need to make enemies if I could help it_. Inwardly I laughed; Ivy would be impressed. The fact that I actually took the time to think things thoroughly would please her to no end; she had been constantly teasing and drilling into me the need to think before I acted. "Nesbiros, what benefit would it be to make you my teacher? Al here does a decent enough job, which is being supplemented by Newt. I don't think that you have anything to offer that I don't already have access to. Besides, I don't even know you; what made you think that I would take this offer?"

Nesbiros quickly glanced over to the Roman before returning to me. "Well, to be frank, I was only offering as a courtesy, considering the Council has already agreed to move your internship, as it were, to myself." Al let out a choke; apparently he had been drinking when this little announcement came up. "The Council has determined that Al is, how should I put this…not fully utilizing you to your complete extent."

_They knew_! Somehow they found or figured out that I could make demon babies, as it were. They planned on making me a little demon factory, with Nessie here as the first baby daddy. _Crap_! Newt was never around when she was needed. Unless, of course, the Council arranged for Newt to be absent during this time. I needed to get out of here now. I always wanted to have a family, but it was always in the white picket fence vision, not the being-locked-away-in-a-cage-except-during-mating-times kind.

As I started to move, Caveboy and Roman moved to surround me, obviously already prepared for me to run. Al was still sitting there with a stunned look on his face. _What do you know? He can be shocked into silence_. Of course, now was the time that I needed Al to be more like his normal self, full of swagger and self-righteousness. Before I could determine what options I had, Al made his move. He got a big grin on his face, throwing a quick ley line ball right at Roman. As Roman was more focused on me, he took the full brunt of the attack, flying backwards. This left me an opening (_for which I was grateful_), one that I immediately took.

I started moving towards the kitchen, figuring that I might be able to grab the few seconds I needed to concentrate on Ivy and get out of here. Unfortunately, even though Roman was still recovering from Al's hit, and Nessie was focusing more on Al, Cavey was still fully aware of me. He moved slowly, dragging his club behind him (_I guess that he took the look seriously_). I was still a few steps ahead of him, so I kept my path to the kitchen. Suddenly, a curse flew by my face, inches away from hitting me. The purple slime that went past me and landed on a wall, started dissolving the wall and anything else that it touched. Not only was Cavey a menace, but I stood a good chance of being hit by Nessie or Al during their duel.

I slipped through the open doorway into the kitchen. I grabbed my splat gun, which I never went anywhere without anymore, and prepared for Cavey to come around the corner. Seconds later, he rounded the arch and I let go with my ammo. Four shots later found him snoozing away at my feet. I grabbed a hold of the nearest line, which conveniently went through Al's new house. I started visualizing my trip to home and Ivy. I felt the distinctive flavor of my line and my love, taking them into myself to hold as an anchor. As soon as I started the jumping process, I felt a burning sensation hit me full on. I lost my grip on the line as the curse invaded my mind, a blazing path travelling through my nervous system. I screamed from the pain, feeling myself fall into the void between places. I quickly fell unconsciousness from the pain, sparing me the agony that I felt both from the curse and from failing to return to Ivy.


	2. Chapter 1 - Down the Rabbit Hole

**Chapter 1** \- _Down the Rabbit Hole_

I've often been grateful for the talents that I have, beyond my "witchy" ones. I've learned to fight at a decent level, which has saved my butt on many occasions. I inherited my baking skills from my mother, who taught me at an early age on the importance on following the recipe and where you could improvise. Even my fashion sense has gotten a lot better since Ivy and I became a couple. Ivy quickly learned to turn me away from the glittery, short and tight items, showing me clothes that fit my shape better. Not that Ivy minded the short, tight items…

The talent I am least grateful for is the ability to immediately determine what kind of surface I am waking up on. I've learned to differentiate between various stonework and floors within seconds of waking up. I'm not proud of this, because it usually meant that I was knocked out, even briefly. Jenks had a field day the first time he learned about this, prompting him to rib me for a week's time. He even composed a song about it, which made matters worse.

So, even as I woke up with a pounding migraine, I could determine that I was laying on cold (_very cold!_) concrete that felt a bit smooth, probably from frequent use. _A sidewalk of some sort, probably in the city_. I started to open my eyes, but the light was like knives to my eyes, so I quickly shut them. I would kill for a pain amulet right now, but unfortunately they were all in my bag. You know, the bag I left at Al's. I sighed (_a bad habit that I really needed to break_), realizing that the situation wasn't going to fix itself, so I needed to get a move on. Bracing myself, I slowly rose to my feet while gradually unclenching my eyes from their prior shock.

I found myself at Fountain Square in downtown Cincy, but never like this. I thought at first that I was still in the Ever After, just at their distorted image of the square. A quick look up at the very blue sky showed a bright yellow sun, so I was definitely in my Cincinnati. It was still off. The fountain wasn't running, which does happen when performing maintenance on it; the amount of graffiti on it said that it apparently hadn't run for a while. I recognized a few names in the graffiti, which were various werewolf packs. While I was contemplating the fountain, a sudden thought crossed my mind. Where were all the people?

Based on the sun, it looked to be in the late afternoon, so the square should be filled with people going to their various destinations. No cars either. I saw a few cars on the streets, but they looked trashed; the kind you would see in movies like the Road Warrior or Terminator. The nearby buildings and stores hadn't fared any better; I didn't see any intact windows on the shops surrounding the square. It's like a natural disaster had happened, like a tornado or earthquake or something. My mind was racing, trying to figure out why it would be like this. I was in Cincy on Sunday, just two days ago; aside from some roadwork, there was nothing then that showed any kind of issue, especially at this level of destruction.

"Ivy…", her name slipping past my lips as I took in the destruction around me. If it was this bad in the city, was she and Jenks okay? Did the church suffer damage like these buildings? Was anyone I knew okay? I felt an enormous desire to tear out of here, so as to get to the church as fast as possible. Ivy was a planner, but no one could have planned for anything on this scale. The lack of any type of governmental figures, be it police, firemen, or soldiers, in the area meant that it wasn't just here at the Square that was affected. My heart was aching to know if she was okay.

My body decided that it needed my attention, however, shivering hard; I was starting to feel the effects of the brisk, cold wind on me. It felt like a normal late fall day, which was disturbing me on another level; when I left the church this morning, it was promising to be a beautiful summer day. At any rate, the wonderful maid outfit that Al decided to bless me with wasn't very ideal clothing for a fall day in Cincy. There were a couple different clothing stores nearby, all within walking distance. I decided on a sports apparel store, which I figured would be best for the situation. Normally I would never be caught outside the church wearing something that casual, but I was a little more worried about warmth than fashion.

You know the scenes in horror movies, when the girl goes for a walk in the dark, where it gets really quiet as you realize that she is being stalked by the killer? That's what it felt like walking to the store. I really wanted to yell out a hello to see if I got an answer, but then I thought that maybe I didn't want to get an answer, based on the destruction around me. I felt almost paranoid about my surroundings, looking around me every few seconds. I passed a burnt out car with broken windows, the metallic skeleton being the only parts left on the vehicle. When I glanced into the car itself, I saw jumbles of bones inside; two appeared to be from adults, with what appeared to be a toddler in the back seat. Tears welled up while I stifled a sob; despite how crappy people might be, children never deserved something like this.

I moved quickly on, before my grief got worse. Dying kids always brought back bad memories of the times I spent in the hospital and the camp during my stint with Rosewood Syndrome. My mind was already on edge; I didn't need the feelings that my memories would dredge up. The situation was getting worse as I saw more; I just couldn't make any sense of it. Even if the car was set on fire with those people in it, could it really have reduced them to just skeletal remains in just two days? Maybe the skeletons were moved here, but why? Was there a movie being made here? I would have heard something about it, if that was the case.

How could the world have changed so significantly, in such a short time? What in the Turn happened?

My mind was whirling away, trying to make sense on what I had seen, to the point where it was hard to focus on anything else. I stopped and took several deep breaths; now wasn't the time to panic. I needed to set goals (_Ivy would be so proud_), and tackle each problem as I got to it. I needed clothes, some form of transportation, and, seeing the darkening skies, somewhere to stay. Nights could get pretty cold here during the fall, so I needed to find a place sooner than later. My stomach gurgled noisily, reminding me that I needed to add food and water to the list. Another sigh escaped before I could clamp down on it. _I really need to stop doing that; Ivy was already getting a little annoyed by my frequent sighing. If I got irritated at her before we became a couple, I would yell out my frustrations, which made the situation worse. No way am I getting on her bad side, ever again._

I didn't see anything else gruesome on my way; I passed another trashed car, this one on its side. As the undercarriage was facing me, I couldn't see if there were any former occupants in there. After my last experience, I had no desire to go look. I came up to Koch's Sporting Goods, which looked like most of the other stores in the area: broken windows, damaged structure, and a dark interior. Luckily, I had made light earth charms before I left for the Ever After; I then cursed my luck when I remembered my bag was left at Al's. I summoned a small ball of light; the smut was very minimal on this curse, so I hardly noticed it when it hit me. The small orb of light gave off a paleish light, strong enough to see but not enough to be easily seen from afar. Mentally pushing the light above me, I stepped into the store.

It was apparent even before I walked in that the store had been thoroughly trashed. Even more so, the fabrics still left around looked chewed upon and partially disintegrated. It didn't look like there were any clothes that were still whole. It's like the people who did this were more interested in trashing the store rather than looting it. I did look behind the register area where I found a few protein bars inside a small plastic container. I wolfed one down quickly, wishing I had water to wash it down. It tasted very stale, but I was able to swallow it down. Satisfied that there was nothing else useful upfront, I headed to the back, the whitish light of my orb following me.

Entering the backroom, I tried the light switch there unsuccessfully; I'm guessing that power was out. Not that that surprised me, as there were no lights on anywhere else, but I hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked. There was enough light coming from my orb to see decently, thankfully. I discovered row upon row of hung clothing, varying from t-shirts to sweat shirts to jackets. Most of them looked similar to the ones upfront. There were two doors, one marked as a restroom, leaving the other I guessed to be the office. Along the interior wall was hooks holding smaller items, like socks, caps and the like. There were boxes in a corner that appeared to not have been opened yet. Lastly there were shelves of shoe boxes along the outer wall. I went into the office, finding a desk and shelves with white cardboard boxes, the kind that hold old paperwork. I made my way to the desk, where rested a broken monitor and keyboard. I looked through the drawers thoroughly, finding a box opener wedged near the back of the bottom drawer. _Probably why it wasn't taken_, I considered. I managed to get it worked out; the blade was not in the best shape, but it should suffice. I checked the boxes, finding paperwork as expected. The lowest box held a surprise: someone's hidden stash! Various cookies and crackers, a couple candy bars and a bottle of rum. While I would have preferred water, I wasn't averse to taking a swig or two as needed. A nearby duffel bag, still in usable shape, was quickly put into use, carrying all my finds.

I came out of the office and stepped slowly to the boxes; I had been feeling a niggly sensation ever since I entered the store. It was probably just a mild case of paranoia, but I had learned long ago to listen when my instincts were telling me something. Still, I needed to find real clothing, but everything I had seen so far was damaged to the point of being unusable. I reached for one of the closest and lowest boxes; as I moved it towards me, I could tell it wasn't empty at least. As I was cutting the box open, a sound arose from a fair distance away, causing me to freeze. It sounded like a wolf cry.

Even though I am the Alpha bitch of a werewolf pack, I still cannot tell the difference between a werewolf and a wolf when they cried out. David tried teaching me, figuring that it might save me one day, or at least be useful. I could never differentiate them. David eventually gave up on the issue, figuring that there might be too subtle a difference for a witch to notice. Ivy, of course, was able to tell the difference every time. She was a little smug about it, but soon apologized profusely after I teased her to no end, flashing bits of skin offhandedly while frequently tilting my head, exposing my neck. It never hurt to remind her of the power I had over her. (_Of course, she could do the same to me by simply smiling with a slight bit of fang._) She couldn't get me home fast enough that night. We were both happy at the end of the day, so all was good.

So, here I was, still not sure what the creature was. I was really hoping that it was going away from me instead of closing in. My only relief was that there was no answering call, so it might have been a lone wolf. Or werewolf. _Whatever_. I looked into the box, while keeping an ear out for any other sounds. Inside were items of clothing that appeared to have survived. Unfortunately, it was a box of men's shorts. Just my luck. I went to go pick up a second box, when I heard a scratching noise. _Great, rats_. The first sign of life here were rats. I made sure to make enough noise to scare it (_or them_) off while grabbing the next box. It sounded like it scurried off after that, but I was nervous that it might come back with friends. Time to get what I can and get out of here.

That second box had hoodies, which I was happy to see, even if they had the Steelers logo on them. While not really being a sports fan, I knew enough that normally I would never be caught dead wearing a Steelers hoodie in Cincy. It'd be like walking into a vampire den with a bleeding neck. Still, I wasn't complaining. Grabbing one in my size and one larger as a 'coat', I put the rest to the side and looked at the lowest box in the column. I could see the hole on the side that undoubtedly was gnawed by a hungry rat. I skipped that box and moved to the next box up top. I finally found a box of sweats, again grabbing two. I doubted that anywhere I found to stay would have all the amenities, like heat or running water. At least the sweats were Bengals imprinted.

I happily stripped off the maid costume, determined to have words with Al next time I saw him. I hesitated a moment before putting the sweats on. I rarely went commando (_usually only when I wanted to excite Ivy_), but there was no underwear sold here and the pair that came with the maid outfit were more frilly than functional. I reluctantly kept those panties on before adding the sweats, hoping to make do. Both hoodies went on, making me feel much warmer. I grab a couple pairs of socks and moved over to the shoes. I couldn't find anything in my size; the best I came up with was a pair of wrestler shoes a half size larger. Wearing two pairs of socks should make that okay, so I grabbed more. I knew that the shoes weren't a good long term choice, but I really wanted to be in a secure location before night fell. Something was obviously wrong here and I didn't want to discover why by running into anything in the dark. I threw what I wasn't wearing into my duffle bag and slung it on my shoulder.

I was greatly feeling the urge to get somewhere safe, but I had no clue where to go. I really wanted to get to the church; I was feeling very anxious about what might have happened to Ivy and Jenks. It was rapidly changing from dusk to night, so I would have been traveling in the dark if I left now. _Right; I have no night vision and using any kind of light would make me stick out. It would be best to travel during the day._ I would need shelter, preferably somewhere away from rats and other creatures. There were several hotels in the area; I could try one to see if I can get into a room. The Westin was closest to Fountain Square and the closest one for me. I did a quick look around to make sure I didn't miss anything useable, but it was just more clothes and shoes. I shouldered my duffle bag and headed outside.

I scuttled along, staying as close as I could to the shadows of the buildings. I had yet to hear a repeat howl, so I hoped whatever it was had moved on. Thinking of potential threats made me realize that I had no weapons with me; my splat gun was back at Al's and my silver dagger I kept tucked in a boot had disappeared with the rest of my clothes, thanks to Al. I'd have to use magic to defend myself; I hoped that if that need arose, that it wouldn't attract more attention. I reached out to the closest leyline; I almost stumbled when I actually felt it.

Whenever I would normally harness leyline energy, I would start by making a connection to the closest one (or largest one if there are multiple) and develop a two way connection to it. The energy would flow just like water to and from me, just like a river. When I grabbed a hold of the line here, it felt like I was handling mud. The energy was slowly coming to me, which I began to spin up, but it was such a weird feeling. I had never had any line behave like the one I was using. I cast out to another nearby line, but got the same sluggish feeling. _Were all lines like this now? What the hell happened here?_

I managed to get enough spun up as I walked that I could defend myself as needed, but I'm not sure I could count on them in a pinch. I needed to cross the street here to get to the Westin; I had never felt as exposed as I did walking away from the buildings. The sheer silence and lack of any movement had begun to unnerve me more than anything else in my life. While I enjoyed my quiet time at the church some days, there was always a reminder that life existed outside the church, whether it was a passing car, the pixies playing outside, a plane flying overhead, even just the wind blowing. The city was silent, like it was dead.

The doors were actually locked at the Westin, but there were smashed out windows that I could pass through. I headed behind the desk, hoping to find anything that could be useful. I did find a barely working flashlight; I would need to conserve it as much as possible. I did find a few small water bottles hiding behind the printer; I quickly drank one down while stowing the rest away. I added some hair pins to my bag; they could be useful if I needed to pick a lock. (_I was nowhere near as good as Jenks, but I could eventually get it._) They would be little help here; the Westin, like many upscale hotels, had long ago moved over to key cards. I wasn't sure how I would get into a room, beyond brute strength. I still felt like making as little noise as possible, but it may not be avoidable here.

A calendar caught my attention on the second glance of the desk. It was set to April 2012, which was clearly wrong. A practical joke by someone? If it was, why was it kept? I thought about it briefly, before realizing that I had more important things to worry about. Shouldering my bag, I headed to the elevators, only to remember at the last moment that they wouldn't be working. The stairs it was. The first three floors of the Westin were dedicated to shops and restaurants, so I climbed up to the fourth floor and exited the stairwell. The destruction that I had come to expect was not present here; it would look like a normal day at the hotel if the lights were lit. The dying flashlight illuminated the hall enough for me to see a fire extinguisher and axe mounted behind a glass door on the wall. Setting down my bag, I grabbed the extinguisher, hefting it my hands. I went to a nearby room and broke the door in using the extinguisher.

Setting the extinguisher down for a moment, I grabbed the flashlight and spun it around the room briefly. It looked like a standard room with two beds, both of which were made. There was the basic table with two chairs, a bedside table between the two beds, a small desk and a low dresser with a mini fridge on it. The room didn't show any signs of previous or current habitation, but I was determined to be cautious on this. I went back to take the axe down before slowly entering the room. The bathroom was to my immediate right; I pushed open the door with the axe, looking inside. It was empty; the shower curtain was not pulled, which allowed me to see an empty tub. Dismissing the bathroom, I moved forward, looking along the sides of the bed to ensure nothing was there. Lastly, I reluctantly laid down on the floor to ensure that there was nothing under either bed to worry about. While there was a horde of dust bunnies there, I found nothing to be concerned with.

I went back to grab my bag and the extinguisher, pulling both into the room. Once in, I closed the door and propped one of the chairs under the door handle. I latched both the chain and the swing lock, hoping that these plus the chair would afford me security for the night. The room was a bit chilly, but I figured that I would just sleep in my clothes for warmth. I moved to the window, seeing that it looked out over Fountain Square. I peered out the window, still seeing no movement anywhere. I closed the threadbare drapes, wishing that they were blackout drapes. Without those, I didn't dare use my light orb overnight; it would be like a flashing neon light pointing at my location. I would have to settle for the flashlight, hoping that it didn't die in the meantime. Both bedspreads looked very dusty and timeworn; I carefully rolled one up, hoping that the dust wouldn't permeate the room. While some did escape, I managed to keep it to a minimum.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, I started investigating the room, hoping to find anything of worth. The bedside table held a channel guide and a Gideon bible. Disgusted, I threw both back in the drawer and closed it. The drawers on the dresser were empty, as was the one on the desk. The mini fridge yielded a nice surprise; it was, in fact, a mini bar! I looted the bottles of liquor and water, along with the many candy bars and bags of nuts and candy. I had food, none of which was particularly healthy for me, but it was better than starving. I did take the shampoo and soap I found in the bathroom as well. I might try another few rooms tomorrow to add to my stash.

There wasn't much for me to do at this point. I shed the outermost layer of clothing, but kept the inside layer; I can't imagine that it was going to stay warm overnight. I settled myself on the bed, wishing it was my bed at home. _Ivy_. I hoped she was ok. I hoped that she was able to either survive at home or flee to a safe place. Tears were starting to roll down my cheeks as I ran scenarios though my mind, slowly getting worse as I contemplated what I would do if the worst scenario was real. I knew that it was pointless to let my imagination run wild, but it was hard to not wonder if something bad had happened to Ivy while I was away.

I started to feel sleepy but needed to take one last action to ensure security. I concentrated on drawing enough leyline energy to form a ward on my room. This way, if any one or thing somehow managed to get past the locks and chair, I would still be alerted by the ward even if they came in without making noise. I tried to get comfortable, but these beds were lumpy, probably due to time and age. I managed to find a position that wasn't too bad, turning off the sputtering flashlight. That I kept near me; no sense fumbling around, trying to find it if there was an emergency. It had been a long day, both physically and emotionally. I soon fell into a deep sleep.

I was startled awake, sure that I heard a noise. I waited breathlessly until I heard a wolf's cry, undoubtedly an answer to the one that awoke me. I turned on the flashlight and slowly went to the window, taking care to not make any noise. I parted the drapes as little as possible to look out. The moon was only partly out, as dark clouds partly obscured its light. Still, it was enough light to see that it was raining heavily, what would be snow in a few months, based on the temperatures. I didn't see any movement while anxiously looking around. I was a tad bit nervous that the wolves had somehow found my scent and were looking for me. I was ready to go back to bed, assuming that it was a case of my overactive imagination, when I saw them.

A pack of wolves was coming down 5th Street at a slow trot. Occasionally one would stop and sniff at something, but then would quickly rejoin the group. I hurriedly shut off the flashlight, hoping that they didn't look up and possibly see the light. While I was relatively sure that wolves wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs, since the stairwells had fire proof doors, I really didn't want to take chances. Especially if they were werewolves.

One broke off and came to the sidewalk outside the Westin, his nose planted to the ground. For what seemed like ages he sniffed away, until he came up, shaking his ahead. I guessed it was a sneeze, but I couldn't be sure. At any rate, the wolf gave up and caught up with the pack, apparently satisfied that there was nothing there. The pack turned up Vine Street, with a few stragglers catching up from the Square. I drew a deep breath in; it felt like I had stopped breathing while watching them. I got lucky that it rained; otherwise, the wolves would have undoubtedly caught my scent otherwise. Once the wolves were out of sight, I closed the drapes again and used the flashlight to make my way back to bed. Despite my nerves being completely frazzled, I hoped to get a few more hours in before I had to get up.

I was rather shocked that a pack of wolves were so brazenly walking the streets of Cincy; it just furthered the mystery of what had happened. The silence was really getting to me; it seemed that every so often I would hear a noise, but I can't say that it was real or just my imagination getting the best of me. I was too afraid to leave a light on, so I only got bits of moonlight coming in. I wished that it was complete darkness; shadows from the moonlight seemed to shift and move around, making me paranoid that someone was in the room with me. Eventually exhaustion won out over paranoia, making me fall quickly asleep.

I rested undisturbed for the remainder of the night. When I awoke, sunlight was already making its way into the room through holes in the curtain. I took a peek out of the curtains to verify that I saw no one; once I was assured that it was safe, I opened the curtains to allow in light. I went and took care of business in the bathroom, wishing for a toothbrush. I hated the feeling of what I considered dirty teeth, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. There was a nearby Walgreen's, so I could make it there to see if there was anything I could salvage. I didn't have high hopes, based on the stores that I had passed. None looked like that they had survived the destruction well.

I gathered my items back into my bag. I did want to check a few rooms on this level; I really needed more water than I currently have. I know the old axiom about a gallon of water per day per person, but I'm not sure I could find and carry around that much on my own. I just needed enough for now; I could always get more from the Ohio River, as I passed over it on the way home. Home. I hoped it was still there. No, I hoped that Ivy and Jenks were still there. Thoughts of them and what may have happened rose in my mind, but I knew I couldn't worry about that now. _Stay in the moment, Rachel. We work now to get to where we want to be later._ Grabbing the fire extinguisher, I headed to the nearest room.

Several rooms later, I had managed to get enough water to satisfy my fears of dehydration. Plenty of candy bars and other snacks were packed away; I hoped that I would be able to find more substantial foods soon. I ate another of the very stale protein bars and a bag of nuts, washing them down with one of my waters. I put back on the over sweat pants and shirt, knowing it was going to be plenty cold outside. I could hear the wind whipping past the downtown buildings; cold plus a wind tunnel effect would make it a miserable journey until I made my way past the tall buildings.

I decided the best way back was the most direct, even though it would leave me a little bit exposed. Taking the suspension bridge was the direct way over into the Hollows; still I was afraid that I would stick out on there, making it easier to corner me. Provided that there was something out there to corner me, of course. Besides the wolves, I guess. I could go over to the highway, but it would add more time to the trip, and I wasn't sure my luck would hold on food and water. I wasn't particularly happy with the shoes that I found; they didn't really give much support, which I needed for the trip ahead. There was a sneaker store right across from the FIB building; I was going to go check both for … well, for anything really. A quick trip to the bathroom and a quick glance around the room for anything I hadn't packed, found me ready to go. I considered taking the axe, but I was not proficient in using it at all and it could tire me too quickly from using it. While it might look formidable, it would more than likely be a hindrance than a help. Seeing nothing else, I left the room and went downstairs.

I waited very carefully at the downstairs door, listening for any sounds of movement. Satisfied that there were none, I exited the stairway, slowly moving over to the front desk. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls made it easy to see if anyone was nearby, but it also made me feel very edgy. The fact that my field of vision was limited made me nervous about venturing outside yet. Normally when I was on a run, I was full of piss and vinegar, ready to take on the world. This, however, seemed so foreign that I couldn't feel that same boldness I usually felt. _Stupid_! My mind has been so preoccupied with my surroundings that I forgot one of the simplest tools in my repertoire: my second sight.

I reached out to the nearest leyline, spindling up energy for use during the day. The line was just as sluggish as yesterday, but eventually I had filled myself up. I switched my sight over and looked around. I was thrown off at first, as I didn't think that the Westin had a basement, but they do. The disappearance of the floors under me always distracted me at first, something I'd never gotten used to. Still, looking around in all directions showed no signs of any kind of larger life forms. I did see birds flying and small creatures running about, which I assumed were rats. No humans. I even looked up into the larger buildings, such as Carew Tower or the IS building. They all appeared empty.

I knew that it was simple enough to build a ward that would counteract second sight, but I really didn't imagine that that was the case. All the humans had left this area. I would need to venture out further from the square into more residential areas to see if this was something on a bigger scale. The coast looked clear, so I shouldered my bag and headed out.

My first stop was UNheardof, a trendy athletic shoe store. While I usually preferred boots, I liked some of their shoes, but my dirt poor self couldn't afford them. Usually I came by to just browse and wish I had the money to buy whatever my heart desired. _Funny how things change_… I stepped into the store and started looking. After a good ten minutes rummaging around the back, I finally came up with a pair half a size too big. I donned the extra pair of socks I had grabbed yesterday, and they fit good enough to wear. As I stepped out, I took a long look at the FIB building across the street. It seems like it didn't weather the destruction just like everything else I had seen. I took a look through my second sight to verify that there was no one in the building; it unfortunately came up as empty as everything else. Curiosity overtook me, so I decided to look down into the tunnels that ran below the streets. Some smaller life forms, probably rats, moved around, but nothing else was stirring. I quickly ended the view; it was still disconcerting to feel like you are standing in the air.

I moved back to Vine Street, taking the southern route towards the Ohio River. I tried to move briskly; the less time I spent outside, the less chances I might get spotted. In some ways I would be relieved when I departed the downtown area; the tall buildings surrounding me seemed too much like walls built to hold me in. Of course, I would feel too much in the open soon enough. I would need to cross the riverside park area and then on the suspension bridge, all the time with little to hide behind if the need arouse.

A quick swig of water reminded me of my teeth, which were feeling very gross. There was a Walgreen's drug store just 3 blocks away, but in the wrong direction. The urge to get home was outweighing the need of dental hygiene right now, so I kept heading south.

As I got further from Fountain Square, I noticed more and more vandalized cars: some in the street and some parked. After my first experience, I tried to shy away from them, in case there were still people in them. I did pass by a skeleton on the ground beside a sign that said, '_The End Is Nigh_'. The sign was on point, it seemed. _Looks like the end finally got here. Not something I'd ever want to be right about_. Most of the bones were cracked open, which didn't really surprise me. Wolves (and dogs) would often feast on the marrow inside of bones. I shook my head and moved on.

I came to my first open area. There was a short bridge across interstate 91 here, which passed in an east-west direction. It wasn't a far walk to the other side, which had buildings again to block me from views, but it seemed like forever. I huffed at myself, thinking of all the things I had faced and won against; why was I letting a little open space scare me? _Because I had no idea what was going on and how dangerous it might be_. I stopped here for a moment, dropping my bag to the sidewalk. I crouched by my bag, fishing out a water to drink. I contemplated my choices here, but then determined that this was the best and only way. I finished off the water quickly and then looked at the empty bottle in my hand. Normally I would try to recycle (_Ivy had rubbed off on me in that regards_), but I doubted that recycling is a big thing anymore. Shrugging, I tosses the bottle into a nearby trash receptacle that was actually standing upright. The temperature seemed to be rising, so I took off the outer sweatshirt and pants, storing them in my bag. I slung the bag over my head and started up again.

I took a quick look into the sky, seeing the sun still midway in the eastern sky. I estimated that it was around 10am, which gave me a 6 hours to get as far as I can. I really needed to keep an eye on places that might be good for overnight shelter; I really didn't want to be outside when night came. That wolf pack freely roaming the streets bothered me enough that I didn't want to take chances. The quietness of the inner city was slowly going away, as I was hearing bird sounds and insect noises. While these were more soothing than absolute silence, it was still eerie to not hear noises of human habitation.

Quickly looking through my second sight, I didn't see anything alarming, so I started briskly walking across the bridge. It only took a few moments to cross, but I still let out a sigh of relief when I got there. The Underground Railroad center was to my left and an office building to my right, for at least the next block. Once I passed these, I would be out in the open for about a half mile. Not wanting to lose daylight, I kept going, trying to keep a brisk pace. Nothing was moving at all except for the occasional bird. That at least comforted me, as birds will scatter if something big and nasty is around.

I had walked the ramp up onto the actual bridge; so far so good. I picked the right pedestrian path, simply as it was closest to me. Plenty of cars were stranded on the bridge; thankfully the pedestrian path appeared clear of any blockages. I still wasn't looking into the cars; I was focused solely on the path ahead, making sure nothing was coming my way. I took a quick look at the Ohio River; it appeared normal, but I had to wonder if the river was somehow contaminated from whatever had happened here. I couldn't see anything and there was no untoward smell, so I assumed that it was okay. Still, I'd be leery of trying to drink from it, as thirsty as I might be. I reached into my bag for another water, taking time to sip it instead of guzzling it. The day felt hot and dry, making me thirsty. I had 3 more water bottles after this one, so I needed them to make it last. I stopped halfway with the bottle, putting it away for now.

The further I walked on the bridge, the more I questioned the nature of the issue. All the cars were more or less turned to drive out of the city. The bridge was not packed like it would be during rush hour; there was space in-between the cars, excepting the occasional car crash. Reluctantly, I looked into a few cars as I passed them, but they all were empty. Well, they were empty of any remains of people. Several looked like that they had luggage and the like; they had to have been fleeing whatever catastrophe hit the city.

I saw ahead something large blocking the road. As I grew closer, I saw a metallic corpse shining in the early afternoon sun. Nearing it, I determined it to be a tractor trailer truck that had flipped onto its side. It was completely blocking the road itself, as well as being partially into the side of the walkway I was on. _Probably some idiot who cut the truck off caused this_. The closer I got, the more that I could see that there were more than automobile skeletons present.

Apparently a fight had happened here, based on the sheer number of bones I found here. People who had been fleeing the city were stopped here; I'm guessing that they tried to hoof it out of here, but were stopped by something. Just as I saw with the doomsday prophet earlier, the majority of the bones looked cracked open. None of the skeletons appeared to be intact; the bones were scattered all over this area. _Did this happen before or after they died? Were the wolves (or dogs or werewolves) the cause of the massacre, or were they just opportunists_? All these questions that I had, without any answers.

This battle area…well, it was more like a massacre, but there was some fighting done. I saw several splintered wooden bats, rusted wrenches, and the like. Nothing looked anywhere near usable; it was as if time had apparently had its way with them. Unless that wrench had already been heavily rusted before, I can't think of a reason for its current state. I hunkered down to take a quick look at it and that's when I noticed it, laying underneath a nearby car.

A gun. I wasn't the squeamish type who couldn't even pick up a gun or did so with two fingers, afraid that I would catch something if I touched it too much. The IS had mandatory hand gun training, so I had handled several different varieties of weapons. No, it wasn't squeamishness that had me hesitate to pick it up; I had a healthy enough respect for life that I abhorred guns in general. My sleepy time pellets weren't killers (unless you were in the wrong place at the time), and I never used deadly spells. Well, excepting that time with the faerie assassins. Still, I didn't feel right leaving it here because someone else might find it. I grabbed it, checking the clip which ended up being empty. I also checked to make sure that a bullet wasn't already in the chamber, which was clear as well. I added it to my collection, figuring I would find a place to dispose of it later.

As I stood, ready to continue walking, I heard a sound that was closer than I was happy about. It sounded like something heavy and metallic hit another metallic surface. I then heard a raised voice, but couldn't make out the words. The sounds were definitely coming from ahead; I took a quick look through my second sight to see that there were 3 men approaching my position. I had to guess that they were around a quarter of a mile away, giving me plenty of time to retreat. I started moving back towards downtown, not wanting to be seen. Luckily the tractor trailer was blocking me from their vision. I didn't run, as I was afraid of tripping on something unseen, which would just alert those men. Luck was on my side right now, and I wanted to keep it that way. I reached the end of the bridge; I hadn't heard anything from behind me, so I was hoping that my luck was holding. There was a small building to my right that I went to, discovering it to be an elevator/stairs building to the road below. It had a glass front, so anyone could see in, but I could also see out.

I made my way inside, waiting on the top floor to see if I could hear anything from them as they passed. I spindled up as much ley line energy as I could, almost to the point of it being painful. I could hear them approaching, as something was squeaking terribly. I retreated down the stairs a bit, just enough that I could lay down and still see outside. It was a risk, but they could potentially have information that I needed. As they came into view, I could see that two were pushing empty grocery carts while the third carried a rather huge rifle in his hands. The other two carried rifles as well, but slung across their back. They stopped close enough that I could hear them talking, but their voices were so low that I couldn't make out anything. One pulled out a map, as one of them would intermittently point at the map or at a building.

_What in the Turn am I going to do?_


	3. Chapter 2 - Stranger in a Strange Land

**Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon. This is a series of stories set in the same AU, but mostly stand apart. The first was Out of the Darkness followed by A Dish Best Served Cold.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it, nor am I associated with KH or her publishing company. I'm just playing in the sandbox.**

**Chapter 2 – Stranger in a Strange Land**

_I wish that they would hurry the Turn up and go somewhere!_

I had been laying here on the stairs, watching them argue over something, for at least 10 minutes. I wasn't in the most comfortable position; my legs were starting to cramp a little from the situation they found themselves in. I didn't dare move; while none of them were looking directly at me, any movement might be caught in the corner of an eye. I didn't trust I could run fast enough, especially now. I might get one with my spindled up chi, but the others were packing serious firepower that could easily take me down.

One of them, the tall skinnyish man with really short hair, was carrying what looked to be a pump action shotgun. He had been arguing with the football player guy. You know the type: huge upper body with strong legs. He was bald, which was not surprising; it had become the latest trend for men's hair. I definitely would have found him attractive in a normal setting, but this was anything but. Football guy was sporting an AK-47. That I could easily recognize, having had one pointed at me on one too many occasions than I cared for. The third guy was staying out of the fight. He was a bit smaller than the other two; I was probably taller than him as well. He was carrying a compound bow with a quiver of arrows on his back. His hair, too, was very short. I briefly wondered why they all had little hair, but quickly tossed that thought to the side. It was the least of my worries. In addition, all three had handguns attached to their waists. I was completely outgunned.

As far as I could tell, they were arguing over where to go. I couldn't make out the specifics, but skinny man kept pointing to the northeast, in the direction of Eden Park, but football guy kept shaking his head and arguing back. Neither was raising their voice too loudly, which is why I couldn't hear them. Still, it seemed like they had been arguing for an eternity. I wasn't so out of shape that I couldn't stay in positions for hours as needed, but I didn't really have time to find that right position before settling down. Now I was afraid to make the slightest movement, as I really didn't their attention off of each other. As long as they kept looking away from me, I was golden.

Skinny man stopped talking, looking really upset. He stomped off, in the direction that I had recently came from. It was obvious that he wasn't getting his way; I had to wonder if he was the type as a child to declare that he was taking his ball and going home when he wasn't winning. The thought brought a smile to my face, as I continued observing the other two. Football guy was shaking his head silently, while shorty was finally speaking a few words. I'm guessing that he was regularly silent, waiting for the fight to be over with. Still, I wouldn't want to mess with football guy right now, unless I was prepared to take him down completely, so it reasons that skinny man wasn't either. Well, at least not yet…

I was thankful that they seemed to be moving off, as the dust that I had stirred up was beginning to settle. I was feeling the effects of breathing it in on my nose; I was attempting to stifle it before it became a sneeze. I could already feel the tickle coming on, so I needed to distract myself long enough until they were out of range of the noise. I let my mind wander, but not overly much; I still needed to be cognizant enough that any movement by the trio would be noted. I started thinking of Ivy; the night before I left for the Ever After with Al, Ivy treated me to page 137 of Cormel's book, A Guide to Dating Vampires. When she first offered to use the book in our lovemaking sessions a few weeks ago, I was a little leery. I had no doubt that a sturdier race, like vampires or maybe weres, could easily survive the intense sessions that I had viewed in the book. I quickly became a fan after that first time; I should have realized that Ivy would never suggest anything that might be harmful to me. Page 137…

I quickly realized that my breath had become faster, as I was panting; I was starting to stir up more dust, which was the complete opposite of what I had been attempting. I slowly moved my arm over, using my sleeve to cover my nose, in hopes that it would filter out the dust from the room as well as dampen any sounds I might make if I sneeze. I unfortunately did not have little ladylike sneezes; I got my mother's genes for that. (I was about to make a comment on how my father sneezed, then I remembered he wasn't genetically my father. I had no idea how Takata…I mean Donald, sneezed; it seemed a little weird to ask questions like these when around him now.)

Thankfully, the men started moving out towards Fountain Square, skinny man taking an early lead due to his stomping off. Shorty took middle while football guy was last. I waited until they had passed beyond my sight before even beginning to move; I needed to work out some kinks before starting a full walk again. Luckily, it didn't take too long for the kinks to disappear; all the extra time spent at the zoo, running, had made them stronger and more resilient than ever. I grabbed my bags, checked to make sure that no one was within sight of my hiding place, and exited out. I turned towards the bridge, building up a charge of ley line energy. Once I was over water, my connection to the line would be shot, so I needed to fuel up now before crossing.

I had just made it onto the bridge when I heard a shout from behind. I quickly turned around, seeing Shorty running towards the bridge, and me consequently. He was still a distance away, but there was no mistaking his direction. Knowing that I should assume he saw me, I turned around and started running down the bridge as fast as I could. Luckily, I had a bit of a head start on him; I would need it on the other side. Once I was down on the streets in the Hollows, I could find a place to hunker down.

My bag was slowing me down, but I knew that I couldn't drop it. With the apparent scarcity of goods, I needed all that I could get. The same couldn't be said for Shorty, though. He was only carrying the bow and quiver of arrows, which wasn't encumbering him to any amount. Still, I didn't dare look behind me to check on his progress; too much debris and too many, well, skeletons on the ground were sources of danger when going all out. I hoped that my runner legs would be enough to maintain the distance between us.

Thankfully the bridge wasn't long, not even a quarter mile. I easily crossed it in minutes; despite the circumstances, I was a bit miffed on how long it took to make it to the Hollows side of the river. I was proud of my athletic body, with all the work I had put into it. Shoving that thought to the side, I started moving to the northeastern side of the Hollows, which was primarily residential. I felt I had a better chance at hiding in a house than in the numerous office buildings and stores on the other side. I was moving away from the church, but I felt that I could make up that distance later. After all, I was only a few miles away from home…and Ivy.

I took a chance and looked back, to see that Shorty had held back to wait for his friends, which was pretty smart. I'd have done the same, not knowing the capabilities of the target. Still, they looked like they were halfway across the bridge, so I darted down the street. Two blocks down, I found a house with an open front door. I offered thanks to the Goddess or whomever might be looking out for my witchy butt and bolted inside. I quickly closed the door, locking it in place. The foyer was filled with boxes and a few suitcases; I guess that the occupants had to flee too quickly to carry this along. The foyer led to a hallway with a door to the right and one at the end. Based on the mess that was scattered around, people had already gone through it to find anything of value. There were several smashed frames with photographs of a young couple with a small but very adorable child. Whatever happened had already happened, so my hopes that they made it out safely might have been in vain, but still I wished them well.

I moved into the adjacent room, which was the family room. A torn up couch and chairs were placed with favorable angles to the mounted flat screen TV, which had also suffered from the apparent destruction. Nothing appeared to have escaped the notice of the vandals who had visited this home. The blinds were already drawn, which was good and bad. The good part was that they couldn't see easily into the home and notice me, but the bad side was that I couldn't see them. While this house did have a second floor, I was very reluctant to move up there, despite the vantage point that I would have. I didn't want to be trapped in an upper level, so downstairs I stayed.

I gently eased my bag off my shoulder onto the floor, taking the time to ensure that I did not make any loud noises. I sat down with my back to the door, hoping that I would hear them before they tried the door, giving me ample time to react. I dug a pack of cookies out of my bag, along with one of the water bottles. I needed to stay hydrated and fueled, even if the food was subpar. At least what I had would ease any hunger pains while I waited and planned my next move. I knew that this was only temporary; I would need to relocate to another home to avoid my hunters. I wanted to keep moving to places that they had already checked, but I wasn't sure if this would work. It really depended on how well these guys planned.

I eventually heard them calling out, but it appeared to be a street or two over. While the lack of noise pollution made their calls clearer than normal, there were some ambient noises that were affecting my hearing: birds calling, the wind blowing through some leafless trees, the nearby Ohio River merrily bubbling along its way. Still, I could tell what direction the voices were generally; I just needed to wait for further calls to determine their movement. In an ideal situation, they would all be together, meaning it would be easier to avoid them. For all I knew, they could have split up, with only two of the three making noise. The third would be silent, waiting for me to make a mistake and show myself to him. I knew that this would work, as Ivy, Jenks and I had pulled this before while on runs. Jenks was the silent one; with his speed and stealth, he could easily find our target after we had flushed him out. I knew I was taking a chance, but I couldn't think of any other plan right now. I wasn't the planner; that was Ivy. Even months after getting together, I still was a by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl, despite Ivy's attempts to plan out my every run. Still, the fact that I even had somewhat of a plan showed how Ivy's persistence in this matter had actually done some good.

The sounds appeared to be getting closer. I moved up into a crouching position; this allowed me to minimize how easy it might be to see me, but still allow me to move quickly as needed. The voices were coming from the street over to the back of the house where I was hiding…_Damn it to the Turn!_ I completely forgot to check the back door to see if it was locked or not. I moved down the hallway, still bent over to try and avoid detection if I could. Luckily the room at the end of the hall was the kitchen with the doorway to the back yard. It looked locked but I went and tested the door to verify that it was. There were no shades or curtains here in the kitchen, so I retreated back to the front door.

The occasional calls from the men were getting louder, but still seemed a small distance off. I was hoping that they would move onto this home's street, which would allow me the opportunity to sneak out the back and move away from them. I was still concerned that I was only hearing two different voices; I had to wonder what the third one was doing. The idea that the two were only flushing me out for the third to prey on me had already flashed through my mine; still I was nervous. I took a moment to take deep breaths; stress on what might be would only be problematic, so I needed to release those thoughts. My plan was good; hopefully it would work.

Eventually the calls moved onto this street, one on either end. I grabbed my bag and moved back into the kitchen, glancing out the windows there. It was a normal backyard; a playset for kids and a shed which undoubtedly held various gardening and lawn maintenance tools. I didn't see anyone, so I unlocked the door and slowly opened it. I didn't want any rusty hinges announcing my position. They did make some slight creaks and grunts as they were forced open, but the sound wasn't loud, thankfully. I eased my way out, slowly closing the door behind me. I moved slowly away from the house, in the direction of the next street over. There was a small fence separating the properties, but it was easily scalable.

I was trying to move as quickly and as stealthily as I could. I went up to the car parked in the neighbor's yard, trying to see if the third person was hanging back. I waited for a few minutes, but didn't see movement in either direction. I could still hear them calling to me, entreating me to show myself. Feeling satisfied that I was safe, I started to stand up when I saw a shadow detach itself from a house three down on the opposite side of the street. I quickly ducked back, watching it move into the open. It was Shorty; he was waiting to see if I showed myself. He wasn't moving fast and didn't react as if he had spotted me. He was crossing the street to go behind the houses. I waited until he had disappeared from sight before moving in front of the car, still crouching. I waited a few more minutes before deciding to take a chance. The longer I sat there, the greater the chance I would be spotted. I started moving quickly across the street, taking care not to hit any of the debris in the street. All the streets seemed to have scattered remnants of daily life before whatever happened here.

I crossed successfully without any apparent notice. I crouched again by a nearby jeep; I waited to see if Shorty was stilling watching this street and was about to announce my presence. Minutes went by; my legs were starting to ache from the awkward positions I had them in in a short amount of time. Finally, I decided it was safe to move on. I crossed over to the next street by going through the backyard yards. I went three streets over before I started moving again in the direction of the church. It looked to be close to midafternoon; I planned on hunkering somewhere a little bit closer to the church until near to nightfall. I figured that moving around at dusk would be easier on avoiding notice. Well, unless they were vampires and werewolves. Sometimes it just sucked that some species got better senses than witches. Of course, I could do earth magic and work ley lines, but it seemed like I was always in a position where somebody had the advantage because of their superior senses.

After several blocks of travel, I made it to the Cathedral. I had passed by several restaurants and delis on my way here; I'd say that the smell coming from them was disgusting, but disgusting was just too limited a word to describe that odor. The same destruction I witnessed in downtown Cincy was present here in the Hollows area as well. I figured that the Cathedral was as safe a spot to wait for dusk as any right now, and should be a little less on the abysmal range.

Pushing my way passed the broken entranceway, I was shocked to see the inside of the Cathedral. The way I remembered it was vastly different than what I was seeing. Of course, it wasn't shocking that the same destruction that had hit homes and stores would visit here, but it seemed so much worse for the vandalism to strike here of all places. I certainly wasn't one to worship any human god, but I recognized that this was a sacred place for some and should be treated accordingly. That's why the damage done here was so…well, sacrilegious.

Everything here in the Basilica had been touched by the wave of desolation that had hit the city. The stained glass windows had been shattered. The altar, once a setting of hope and spirituality, was now adorned with graffiti like the side of railroad cars. The pews were upended, the inner doors smashed beyond belief. Even the church bell that once rang out on the hour its clear ringing tone, had been torn out and tossed into the congregation seating.

I briefly thought of my time here during Trent's rehearsal and wedding. A little smile made its way to my face while thinking of arresting him during the nuptials. It just made my day to do that to him. _Best not dwell too long on the past_. I just needed a place to stay until nightfall, which I felt was a better time to travel. I hoped the moon would be bright enough to show me the way, as I didn't have the vision of a werewolf or a vampire. I also hoped that the three hunters were human and not some Inderlander. If even one of them was a vampire or werewolf, I had no chance of getting away from them cleanly. I doubted they were, as they should have picked up on my scent where I was hiding previously. Luck may be on my side right now, but I sure didn't want to tempt it any further than I needed to do. Nightfall was the best time to move out.

I sat down on the steps leading to the altar area. The carpet here wasn't pulled up or damaged in any way, which was good for me right now. The whole church smelled like mold, so the roof must have been compromised to allow water in. The smell wasn't bad enough to make me change my mind on hiding spots, so I tried to ignore it best as I could. I grabbed a water bottle and a bag of nuts from my bag. While I didn't really feel like eating, I knew I needed to eat when I could. _Quiet times might come few and far between, so take them when you can_. I chewed in silence, really noticing how quiet it was getting. In some ways it was soothing, a gentle reminder of how life is when humans aren't around doing their best to destroy it. In other ways, the silence was terrifying. I'd seen way too many horrors movies growing up to know that, when the movie gets silent, something bad was about to happen. I started having the feeling that I was being watched, but I was out of the line of sight of any windows; only someone at the front door would have been able to see me. I didn't see anyone there, so I brushed off the paranoid-like feeling that I was having. I settled myself against the altar, glad to have a little down time before starting back up.

Jerking awake, I realized that I had dozed off. Apparently I was a little more tired than I thought; it was now past dusk and well into almost dark. It'd had been a couple of stressful days; not knowing what the Turn was going on and being afraid for Ivy had really been vexing me. The sooner I got home, the sooner I would hopefully get some answers. I stood up and stretched; I wanted to warm up the muscles before I started on the last leg of the trip. After a few exercises I grabbed my bag and headed to the door. I was really missing my splat gun; I took for granted how its cool plastic handle soothed me in times of crisis.

I took a peek out the door before opening it. I didn't see anything in the dim light provided by the waning moon. The same darkness that might be hiding any sort of enemy was also giving me the advantage of stealth. As long as I stayed off the main streets and to the backyards of the houses between home and me, I should be fine. Of course, knowing my luck, something totally unexpected would happen.

I followed MLK Jr Boulevard for a few blocks, trying my best to stay hidden in the deeper shadows present. I made it over the railroad tracks easily, leaving behind the business section of the Hollows and entered into the more residential areas. A lot of these houses had been emptied after the Turn; moving into the safety of inner Cincy had become a priority for almost all of the humans that had lived here. I couldn't really blame them; first a devastating plague then to have all of the nightmare creatures from your childhood turn out to be real would probably shake anyone. Still, despite the many years since the Turn, most humans were still hesitant to do business with Inderlanders, let alone live near them. Of course, humans really aren't known for tolerating those different from you; history is full of examples of the travesties that humanity inflicted on those they thought were inferior.

Shaking my head, I realized that I had drifted off into thought while walking, which was a dangerous precedent. I refocused on the task at hand, feeling a little more wary because of my lapse in attention. I stepped into a dark shadow, taking the time to scan the area around me. I didn't want to have someone following me due to my lack of concentration on the matters at hand. I waited for roughly ten minutes, not seeing any kind of movement. I was only hearing the ambient noises that regularly occurred at night: crickets chirping, the distant river, the occasional cry of an owl. I felt pretty confident that there was no one there; only a vamp would be able to avoid my attention, but there was nothing I could really do about them until they showed themselves. My only course of action was to treat it as if there were no vamps; I would deal with it if one made a move on me.

I crossed the boulevard over into the backyard between two houses. As I went, I discovered various levels of fences arranged around each backyard. Some I was able to clamber over, whether easily or with some work. I sometimes had to make my way to the front of the house and cross over there. Despite this slowing my progress, I was more concerned with getting home safely than quickly right now. I didn't want to be bringing trouble home with me. I didn't even know what was waiting me there, so one less nebulous thing is one too many.

As I was getting closer to the church, I noticed that more and more of the houses had backyards that had been completely dedicated to gardens. While I had seen gardens in many backyards (the church had a garden as did Keasley), this was even more than just the small gardening plot most city dwellers had. It seemed that every square inch of the backyard was dedicated to growing crops. Well, specifically, one kind of crop. The one I was in seemed to be growing potatoes as was the houses around it. I had passed one with high stakes in the ground, with decaying vine or climbing plants on it. It could have been tomatoes or peas; I wasn't versed well enough in crops to recognize the plant for sure. It was just odd that any homeowner would have done this to such an extreme, that I suspected this had been done after whatever had happened. Going by what appeared to have happened, I guessed that this was someone's livelihood now in a time of low supply.

Once again, I felt that nebulous feeling of being watched. I scanned the area around me; the moon was higher in the sky, so what little light it gave was at its most effective. Still, I could see nothing or no one that seemed out of place. Still, Ivy had driven in me time after time to trust my instincts in these instances; while my senses are inferior to that of a vampire or a werewolf, I still had better than human ones. Again, no obviously incongruous sounds were present, despite me straining my hearing as best as I could. I started moving again but ducked around the corner of the next house I passed. I waited for another ten minutes at least before I felt satisfied that there was nothing there. Well, nothing that I could do anything about right now, anyway.

I had made it to 17th Street, which ran along the far end of the church plot of land. It was only a couple blocks away, so I figured that I could get over the fence on this side, putting me on safer ground at least. I travelled down 17th Street, the nearness of the church putting energy in my step. I made it to the surrounding street to the lot when I stopped suddenly. The fence around the church was at least 8 feet tall and had barbed wire at the top. I could see through the fence, noting that the entire lot appeared to have been converted to gardens. Some of the grave markers or crypts that had been present in the back lot no longer appeared to be present. Stunned by these changes, I slowly started walking towards the front, no longer sure what I could expect when I went into that place I had called home for the past 3 years.

I shouldn't have been surprised to see changes to the back of the church as well. Several changes were evident here; there was what appeared to be a cellar door just to the left of the back door. In addition, there was a fire pit with a nearby covered charcoal grill. I could see a large pile of chopped wood along the nearest side of the church. Light twinkled in reflection at me; I looked up to see that there were solar panels attached to the roof, reflecting the sparse moonlight back to me. Whomever was living in the church had certainly equipped it to be as self-sufficient as possible.

I moved around to the front of the church, seeing that higher fence made its way completely around the church lot. There was a gated double door in front of the car port as well as a gate door leading to the walkway to the church entrance. Both were locked; a simple tug on both had determined that it would not be so easy to get in. I crouched down to look at the locking mechanism; I knew before I even looked that I would not be able to pick it. If I had my picklock set, I would have a decent chance to do so, but it was unfortunately sitting in my regular bag back at Al's, provided it hadn't been destroyed in the fight that going on when I left.

I was about to stand up when my instincts all of a sudden screamed at me in warning. I quickly reached out to my line and started drawing power in, while standing and turning around as quick as I could. I had barely made it to my feet when I saw and then felt a punch being thrown at me. I barely registered my face screaming in pain before darkness overtook my senses.

Waking up to breakfast in bed is great. Waking up to your lover nibbling on you is even better. Waking up in pain? Not even in the top ten.

The first thing I noticed was the stinging sensation in my left cheek; undoubtedly a leftover favor from the gift I received earlier. As I slowly started coming to my senses, I realized that I was tied to a chair with what felt like synthetic rope. There was a blindfold over my eyes, which seemed ridiculous considering it was nighttime. _Well, at least it was before I got the knuckle sandwich order_. Still, I could sense movement in the room, so I knew whomever gave me the certainly large bruise on my face was still here. They seemed to be pacing back and forth, but no sound was being made by their footsteps. It was only my instincts telling me that they were there, wearing a hole in the rug.

I felt the heat of a nearby candle, so it made sense that it was still dark. I wiggled a little to test the ropes, which didn't help me and just seemed to have alerted my captor that I was awake. I could tell that they stopped pacing, obvious watching me. Figuring it was useless to try to play possum, I decided that the direct approach might be best.

"Ivy? Is that you? I know someone is there; it'd be really nice if we could, you know, talk face to face?"

Silence was my only answer. There was no further pacing; I could only imagine that they were trying to decide what to do. I should be patient and let them make the first move but I really suck at waiting. If it was Ivy, I really wanted to know why she'd blindfolded me without permission (_excepting page 84 – not the time, Morgan!_) and why she wasn't talking. We'd played games with each other enough to be comfortable with them, but this really didn't seem the proper setting for such games. Besides, Ivy knew how much I loved the grey silk quality of her voice, so she never passed the chance to use it in our bedroom fun time. So, if it was Ivy, something was seriously wrong. At this point, I wasn't sure if I wanted it to be Ivy or not.

I couldn't smell anything besides the scent of what seemed to be a stupid aromatherapy candle that was burning nearby, so that didn't help any. I was beginning to run out of ideas and the thought that this wasn't Ivy was becoming more and more prominent in my mind. Just to be safe, I reached out for the ley line, spindling a little energy as a just in case. However, as soon as I started to pull energy into me, I felt the wind of my captor's movement, quickly followed by a slap to my left cheek. Pain blossomed as my cheek once again declared its resentment at being treated as such. My hold on the line dropped, which I am sure is the reason my captor slapped me. I shook my head a little, trying to get the pain a little more under control. It was then that I first heard my captor.

"Don't."

The voice was so familiar but the tone was something different. I had heard this voice for the past 5 years, and, even though it was not raised in loving tones right now, I easily recognized the most important voice in my life right now.

"Ivy? Why are you doing this? What's going on? Please, just take off my blindfold, we can talk about this. I know I've been gone for a while, but it's still me. Please Ivy, I still love you."

A gasp came from her at that last statement, which I could understand. I mean, I went to the Ever After in June, came back in October or November; I'm sure that she had a lot of doubts about my and her feelings, whether I had left her or not. Another sense of quick movement found my blindfold removed with what I believed to be Ivy hanging at the edge of the light. I couldn't see her clearly; I just knew her presence was there.

"Who are you?" Ivy demanded of me. It was definitely Ivy; I've heard her voice yelling at me plenty enough times to fully recognize it. "Why are you disguised as her? It's not making your chances of staying alive very high. Talk!"

I was bewildered. I had no idea what to say to this; I was not expecting to be grilled about who I was.

"Ivy, it's me. It's Rachel. I'm sorry I was gone for so long, but it wasn't me. I know I say that a lot, but it's really true this time. I got into a fight between demons, tried to come back here to you, but I woke up in Fountain Square. I'm sorry about that, but I have no…"

Ivy stepped into the light, rage showing completely over her face. "** . .MORGAN**! I will kill you if you don't tell me who you are and take that damned disguise off!"

I was stunned; more importantly, I was feeling a little scared, which was probably feeding Ivy's rage and bloodlust. I took a quick few breaths, trying to center myself. I needed to act calmly and rationally here; anything further might set Ivy off.

"Ivy, it's really me. I met you when we worked in the IS together. We both quit at the same time right after I tagged that leprechaun. We moved into this church; you were here first but I moved in right after leaving the IS. We've been through so much together, from Piscary to stupid Nick to Kisten's death. You've saved me more times that I can count. You've always been there for me. No matter how I poorly treated you, you only showed caring and love for me. It's why I finally fell in love with you. Don't you remember any of this?"

Ivy came up and got directly in my face. I've never seen the hatred on her face now ever before. "You're a damned liar! If you knew anything, you'd know that Rachel Morgan died 5 years ago in Mackinaw! You picked the wrong witch to impersonate, you bastard! Now take off that fucking disguise!"

_I died?_

**Author's Notes**:

Yeah, I suck. I apologize for the length of time since my last posting; life has been pretty harsh to me recently. I am dealing with physical health issues, which make me have emotional health issues. All in all, 2019 was a very rough year for me. I hope that things will improve with this New Year.

I am looking forward to Kim Harrison's new book in June, even though the Ravy ship has sailed. I love Ivy so much, I would buy the book just to see her interacting with Rachel. It will never be enough, but it's something.

Hopefully you enjoyed this part. I am already at work on chapter 3; I have it mostly drawn up and ready to write. Chapter 4 is also in planning stages. Please, please, please let me know what you liked, what you didn't, etc. I want the feedback! Even just a thumbs up is thankfully received.


	4. Chapter 3 - We're All Mad Here

**Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon but before A Perfect Blood. This is a series of stories set in the same AU, but mostly stand apart. The first was Out of the Darkness followed by A Dish Best Served Cold.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it, nor am I associated with KH or her publishing company. I'm just playing in the sandbox.**

**Chapter 3: We're All Mad Here**

"I'm dead?!"

I didn't think that Ivy could have said anything stranger to me at that moment. I was expecting Ivy to be upset at me if, provided my calculations were close, I hadn't come back for 4 to 5 months. I expected anger. Guilt. Betrayal. I could respond to those. I had responded to those many times in the past; Ivy loved me more by far, so she would eventually forgive me. But me, dead? She came and helped me in Mackinaw; why would she think I died?

"Ivy, I'm really confused. You came up to help in Mackinaw, after telling me you couldn't. We made plans with Nick to get the focus out of town. We helped Peter there. You did all these things with me then we came home. Hell, you bit me for the first time there. How can you think I died there?"

My words seemed to have given pause to Ivy's anger. It was still there, I could still feel it there, but confusion had surged forward to take its place. It's like a light lit where there had been darkness before, and now it became easier to look around.

"No. NO! I went there. Jenks told me. Jenks helped me get your body back so we could bring it home. You died! Stop playing these games!"

With that, Ivy fled backwards to the shadows, doubling over herself. During those dark times for Ivy at home, I would go and hold her, letting her know that there was someone who loved her for who she really was. They had been coming less frequent over time, as she started accepting herself more and more. Despite the outward appearances of being cool, in control, sexy and suave, inner Ivy was still very low on self-esteem. I was helping her with this, because I wanted her to see herself as the person I knew her to be.

This Ivy, however, seemed to be different; she was reacting more like the time after Piscary blood raped her. That Ivy had scared me; not by making me feeling in danger, but by what the poor girl had endured in the hands of that soulless maniac. I was afraid that Piscary had broken her; that he, in typical undead vampire fashion, had used her and tossed her to the side. The fact that he supposedly 'loved' her was laughable; he only saw her as a potential consort after her death. I had no idea then on how to help Ivy, but I had learned a few things since then.

"Ivy? Ivy sweetie, please don't run. Whatever it is we can work it out, like we always do. Just please stay with me. I need you. I love you."

My words seemed to be having some impact on her, but how much I didn't know. _Or for that matter, how they were impacting her. I've never seen her this way._ She was still staying in the shadows, so I couldn't see her face to get an idea on how she was reacting. That and the fact that I was still snuggly tied to this chair, meant that my words had to do. What else could I say? She sounded convinced that I was dead and not here; that I was just some random person imitating my form. I supposed that I could remind her of some of what we went through, of what we meant to each other. If she was only remembering up to Mackinaw, then I needed to do the early stuff, when we weren't a couple. Inwardly sighing, I realized that I was undoubtedly freaking her out further with my talk of loving her. You would think that after a while I would learn to keep my mouth closed long enough to stop sticking my foot in it, but I was apparently a slow learner.

"Ivy, do you remember the day when we decided to quit the IS? We had all come together at the Blood and Brew Pub; I was there to tag a leprechaun. You said you were there for a tag as well. The leprechaun bribed me, offering three wishes if I would let her go. We split the three wishes up; I wished to not be caught for letting the leprechaun go. Jenks wished that he would not father any more children, making Matalina happy."

I paused a moment, expecting laughter, but I was only greeted by silence. I shrugged as best as I could and went on. "You? You didn't use your wish right away. You kept it on a necklace that you wore all the time. Days later I moved into the church with you. That first night? Things almost went really bad. I kept pressing your buttons, even though I didn't know I was. Eventually you told me things about vampires, like blood drinking and bespelling. You told me bespelling made for great sex," I couldn't help the large grin that came to my face, "which it does."

As my thoughts turned to the many times I had made love to Ivy, I started to become lost in thought. Thankfully I wasn't so far gone that I didn't notice Ivy moving a little towards me, but still in shadows. I was getting to her after all.

"That night could have ended so badly. You were on a three year blood fast and then I came along and pushed and pushed and pushed; a lesser vampire would have given in. You? Your love for me saved us. We didn't go somewhere neither of us was ready for. We both needed to grow from who we were to be our best for each other. Still, it was very trying for you, so you left the church and didn't come back until the next day. I wondered for a long time where you had went that night. It wasn't until years later that you told me that you went to see Mia, a banshee you knew before we met. Mia wanted a child but didn't want to kill someone to have one. You have always believed in true love, a love that encompasses all. You saw Mia hurting from a desire to love a child, which you believed would be denied yourself. You gave her your wish, so that Mia could have something that you dearly wanted. Something you were afraid you would end up corrupting if you kept that wish.

"The next day, you came home. I noticed the necklace missing and asked you about it but you refused to tell me. It was then that you gave me Cormel's book. You said that I should memorize it, so that I would stop hitting all of the vamp turn-ons every time we interacted. Secretly, I always thought you really wanted me to use the book when I was ready to move our relationship on."

"I did."

I almost didn't hear the whispered reply. I looked up from my reverie with a smile, seeing Ivy had come into the light. Ivy had changed a lot; while she was never by any means overweight, she had lost some of the weight in her face and chest, removing the sense of softness to show defined muscles. She looked thinner than before, but harder as well. It reminded me a lot of Linda Hamilton's look in Terminator 2. You know, if Linda Hamilton looked like an ivory skinned Scandinavian-Asian goddess with gorgeous black hair. She was wearing her trademark leather pants and long sleeve blouse. While I was more sensitive to colder temperatures, Ivy thrived in them, so it didn't surprise me to see her so lightly clothed.

I couldn't really determine her eye color from the flickering candlelight, but she no longer held anger in her face. As she drew closer, I saw some of the old facial expressions that I had previously seen: hope warring with an almost fatalistic depression. My Ivy, the Ivy I had just seen three days ago, had learned to hide those feelings, usually only letting them show briefly before being locked down within herself. This Ivy was having issues trying to control her emotions. She finally moved close enough to the light that I could see her eyes were full blown black, which could mean a lot of things. It could mean she was tempted almost beyond her control or feeling a heady mix of love and desire or a great anger had settled within her. She hadn't gone for my throat yet, so I had hopes that this would end okay.

"Ivy, I can't imagine what you are going through right now, but I didn't die in Mackinaw. After I got Nick, we met up with Peter and planned how to give him a decent death while getting the weres off of our back. After that, you, Jenks and I came home with the focus. There were a couple close calls, but nothing serious."

There was still unbelief etched on her face, but confusion had crept in as well. "The focus? What's that?"

I was stunned. I was literally gob smacked, which I can honestly say I've never used in a sentence before, and probably never will again. The focus was huge. It figured so prominently in our lives, it's hard to remember when I didn't have to worry about it. I mean, it led to the deaths of Kisten and Piscary, the jailing of Skimmer, and the not so bright idea I had to take the focus into myself. Ivy was there when all this went down. How could she forget it? Something is really wrong.

I wasn't sure where to start with all my questions, but she beat me to the punch. "Rachel, how can you be here? We brought your body home. It's buried in the backyard; I know because…well, because I visit you every day. Are you a ghost? Is there something I am not doing right? Have I done something wrong, so that you are here to haunt me? Do I need to help you be at peace so you can move on?"

She stopped, fear in her eyes; I barely heard the next few words…

"Have I gone mad?"

With those words, she fled down the hallway to the kitchen or living room; based on the sound of a door closing, she went through the living room to the backyard. I pulled at the rope a bit, but it wasn't coming undone easily. I sat back and let my mind remember the lessons Ivy had given me not so long ago: how to escape from being tied up. It's a hazard in our line of work that sometimes we might get captured and inevitably be tied up. While Ivy's strength would take care of most ropes, she still learned how to undo most knots in case she was ever in a position to need this skill. She insisted on teaching me as well; I was happy to learn this but I was not the best student. Several times I ticked Ivy off enough that she would walk away, leaving me to either get myself out or wait until she came back. She was gone one time for 4 hours; I was not happy with her when she got back. Ivy was thoroughly amused, though.

The knots she used were ones she had trained me on, so with a few minutes of work I had managed to free myself. I took a moment for a quick stretch then I contemplated whether to follow Ivy or not. She would come home eventually. I just wasn't sure if following her was a good idea. Cormel's book listed it as a turn-on, which didn't really bother me, but I also didn't want to become the main course for a stressed out Ivy's dinner. Still, she had answers that I needed. What choice was there?

I tapped into my line out back, still feeling the sluggishness of the power flowing to me. It took a little longer to get the energy needed, but I soon found myself with enough to call forth my light orb. The bluish white light showed the sanctuary, but one different from mine. The piano was still there, but I didn't expect Ivy to part with this if her life depended on it. Other than that, everything else was completely different. The rest of the furniture had been removed; gone were the couch and two sitting chairs that we used when interviewing potential clients. Many bookcases had taken their place along the walls, crammed with books to the point of overflowing. A few peeks showed one full of how to books, while another appeared to have a variety of fiction on it. A soft, full chair, different from the utilitarian ones we had before, sat near the bookshelves, with a nearby table, welcoming one to read there by candlelight. I was sure it was candlelight, as there was a hurricane lamp sitting on a small wooden table next to the chair. On one wall above the bookcase was one of those manual calendars, the ones that you have to change on a daily basis to keep it right. The calendar proclaimed the date was November 17th, 2012. _This was 4 and a half years later than it should be._ Shaking my head, I continued my observations of the sanctuary. There was a manual sewing machine on the raised altar, as well as several portable drawers and a table full of crafting materials. Everything was neatly organized in a way that I knew only Ivy could do. There were exercise mats in one corner along with a punching bag. And then there were the weapons…

As far as I could see, there were weapons in several locations in the room. They were all in not so obvious locations, the same places that Ivy…well, my Ivy, stored weapons for us. We never knew who might just show up at our doors, so we were prepared. Apparently, that was true here as well. Looking briefly at the door, I could see that she had added several locks and had structurally reinforced the door with what appeared to be steel rods. I can't imagine what could make it through that door; it looked solid enough to hold off an undead vamp.

Realizing that I had let my mind wander a little, I started slowly down the hallway, hoping to prevent any surprises. Was she here alone? I passed both bathrooms, both looking like normal. I approached the doors to our bedrooms; both were closed. I chose to open mine, as I wasn't sure if I should look into Ivy's. Old memories of not entering her room (to prevent my scent from covering everything) had surfaced in my mind, so I opted for mine. I was shocked at first; it looked like I had been here all along. Clothes were still laying on the floor, usually where I had flung them. My makeup basket on my dresser still looked messy and disorganized, as were the numerous perfumes that I or Ivy had bought for me. I was surprised to see my splat gun on my dresser; any charms left in it would undoubtedly have gone bad by now. Even my bed was unmade, as if I got up this morning and left the room as is. Ivy had told me that my mess of a room would often worry at her; the compulsion to clean and organize it would be very high at those times. To have left the room like this spoke volumes about Ivy's state of mind.

Shaking my head, I reclosed the door and moved onto the back of the church. A quick look into the kitchen showed that little had changed there. Ivy's table was no longer there; there were shelving units in place instead, holding a large amount of jarred food. Otherwise, everyone else was still the same: two stoves, refrigerator, and pantry. The hum of the refrigerator was the only thing breaking the silence at the time; otherwise, it felt dead like the rest of the city did. The refrigerator is running. All of a sudden, I remembered the solar panels on the roof; Ivy was clever enough to have installed them to get some electricity. Obviously, keeping food chilled was a high priority; I doubt she used the generated electricity for the hair dryer or the toaster.

Figuring I could ask Ivy about this later, I moved on to the living room, which was the warmest room of the house. To say I was shocked was an understatement. Everything that was here before had been removed. The TV, the furniture, the lamps…all gone. All that remained was her chair with the ever-present wool blanket on it, the one I would sit in when I missed her presence. There was wood stacked along one wall beside the fireplace, which had a small fire going. There was a swing arm installed on the fireplace; I guess that cooking was done there. More bookshelves were present, all to overflowing. The wall shared with the kitchen was filled with shelving units holding more food. I saw a lot of canned vegetables with some canned fruit as well. There was a small door present in the floor; I'm guessing that it went to wherever those cellar doors on the outside went. Still, no questions answered here, so onward I went.

I stepped outside to the cold again, regretting having to leave the slightly warmer air of the church. Despite the diminished amounts of heat in the church, at least it was warmer than out here. I released the light orb, as its light would be detrimental to my vision outside. I looked around, hoping that the little moonlight would help me see where Ivy went, if she was even here. She could be halfway to downtown by now if she was going at a quick pace. I squinted my eyes, hoping it would help, but I wasn't see anything. I moved a little further out to look again; this time I was able to see her form alongside the church. She was shaking; whatever it was, it was tearing her apart. I slowly moved forward until I was standing a few feet away from her. I could see what had drawn Ivy here; she stood at the feet of a burial plot. The stone erected at the head read:

_Here Lies Rachel Mariana Morgan_

_Born 27 July 1981_

_Died 13 April 2007_

_It's not what we do, but who we love, that defines us._

It's a surreal moment for one to stand besides one's own gravesite. I stared at it for several moments, unsure what to say. I glanced over to see Ivy shaking; my heart sank at the sight of her grief brought fresh again. I knew she was hurting; the talks we had had confirmed that she had loved me from our days in the IS. If she was only remembering up to Mackinaw, she wouldn't know that I had eventually returned that love, after I pulled my head out of my ass to see what had been in front of me the whole time. I kicked myself frequently over all the time we missed out on, but Ivy always told me that it didn't matter; all that mattered was the time we had together going forward. With this knowledge, I knew I had to confront Ivy on her feelings (and those of my own); we needed to get right between us before anything else could occur.

I tentatively reached out to Ivy, still hesitant that she would flee. I slowly raised my hand to gently wipe away the tears that I was finally able to see as I drew closer. She jerked a bit at the first contact but then leaned into my hand with a gentle sigh. Her eyes opened to stare into mine; I could see the hope and the despair fighting within her. She turned her face to rest her nose on my hand, inhaling deeply. I wasn't trying to rush things; she needed this confirmation that I was telling the truth. By now, I had come to accept the truth of which she spoke: I had died here. Knowing that she would recognize me by my smell, I realized the same would have been true of the Rachel that died in Mackinaw. The one that Ivy had buried here.

"Ivy..." I started, suddenly full of doubt of what I should say. How do you speak to someone who is in love with you but had seen you die? I'm sure that someone more familiar with Star Trek or Doctor Who would probably have a better grip on what to do here, but I was lost. This world was mad, and Ivy had always been the one who kept me safe and sane whenever the world was at its worst. Based on how Ivy was acting, it seemed that it was my turn to be the rock.

"Ivy, I know that this is really hard to accept, but I am Rachel. I know you can tell by my smell. If you are really scared that I am wearing a disguise, then you can throw salt water on me." I paused, knowing that the next words were important. "I know who you are. I trust you. It's important to me that you trust me, so I am willing to do what it takes to help you. I want to be more help than just a towel and a cup of hot chocolate like last time."

The disbelief in her face gave way briefly to one that seemed almost joyous. "Rachel? It's you, it's really you! How did you…why were you…what…" With that, she gave up speaking and rushed over to me, enveloping me into a strong hug. I hugged her back, knowing she needed this more than anything right now. Her sobs were still reaching my ears as she clung to me, as if her life depended on it. Maybe in some way it did; the lack of people here in Cincy might well be detrimental to her mental health. Suddenly, I thought of blood sharing; I had to wonder if Ivy had any source of blood right now. I shelved that thought for later; if she didn't have anyone before, I could be that for her.

Slowly I started disengaging myself from Ivy, even though she was still clinging to my side. My thoughts went to spouses returning from active duty, and how the ones waiting for them at home didn't want to leave their side in fears that they might disappear once more. I did nothing to discourage her from hanging on me; after all that Ivy had put up with me, I could easily do this for her. In fact, I liked this side of Ivy. Once we had become a couple, Ivy's possessiveness ramped up to 11. She would always be at my side whenever we went out; she was making sure that there was no doubt to whom I belonged. Once I would have bristled at the idea of belonging to anyone, but I soon realized that I felt the same way about Ivy.

We slowly made our way into the church, passing through the living room on the way to her room. I opened the door for her, leading her to sit on our bed. (Well, our bed in my normal…world?) She quickly clasped my hands, reluctant to part from me for even a minute. She looked up, tears still streaming from her eyes. I hated to see her in so much pain, a pain like I hadn't seen since her days as Piscary's scion. I quickly removed my shoes and sat down with my one leg on the bed, so I could be looking directly at Ivy. I started slowly stroking her hair, which I knew was a calming method for my Ivy. Immediately a change came over Ivy; her eyes closed along with her upper body relaxing. Smiling, I reached over and once again wiped away those tears. I knew that they were for her Rachel, for the loss that she apparently still felt 5 years later.

"Ivy? What happened here? How did…well, how did I die? What happened to Cincinnati? "

Ivy opened her eyes, showing that they had once again resumed their warm brown colors. Her hand moved up to capture my own, gently holding it to her face for a few minutes before bringing them to her lap.

**Ivy's Tale**

"Jax had called Jenks to come help him up in Mackinaw. Jenks was determined to go it alone, still on the outs with us. Matalina came to you, begging for your help with Jenks. You finally convinced him to let you go. Realizing that it would be too cold for a pixie, you used demon magic to make him human sized. After that, you gathered supplies and borrowed Kisten's van for the trip. The day after you left, I received a package for you, which didn't seem important at the time.

"I can only go by what Jenks told me of what happened. The both of you found Jax, who told you that Nick was being held on an island by weres. Being the kind hearted but naïve person that you are, you decided on helping Nick, as you felt that you owed him or whatever. Jenks was never really clear on why you decided to help Nick, but it was the wrong choice. You made your way onto the island but then you were captured. Being held by the werewolves with the potential of being killed, you came up with the idea of challenging the alpha bitch for leadership.

"Before you left, you had managed to create a shapeshifting potion to allow you to were when needed. So, with this in mind, you decided this risk was worth it; either you would win and save yourselves, or you would lose but distract them long enough for Jenks to get away with Nick. When the challenge started, you used you charm to change into a were form. Unfortunately it went wrong. You started to change but the process stopped midway. Jenks described it to me as being the worst thing he had ever seen. Your legs had become those of a wolf, the chest area stayed human but with large amounts of hair. Your face was the worst; the snout formed but the rest of your head was unaffected. The failed process apparently caused you a large amount of pain; when the alpha bitch killed you, it was a mercy. Jenks still managed to escape in that time; he never found Nick. I'm not even sure if he tried at all.

"I came up the next day to find a distraught Jenks. I was enraged at the tale he told; the fact that your body was still on the island incensed me even further. I made my way over there that night; I found your body, desecrated by those hairy bastards. I slew many of them present, but some escaped before I could get to them. They had taken away the most precious thing in my life; in my mind, they no longer deserved to live themselves. I recovered your body and brought it back to the room you were staying. Jenks wanted to help me care for your body, but I had to do it. It was one of the last kind, loving things I could do for you; I had to clean you myself.

[_Ivy stopped for a moment, wiping tears from her face. I knew that re-living these memories would be painful, but I needed to hear them_.]

"We wrapped your body in the hotel sheets; we went out to purchase a casket, knowing it would fit in the back of the van. While we were out, the room was broken into, but only one thing had been taken: that package that had come for you. I had brought it with me to give to you here; I completely forgot about it because of the circumstances. I didn't actually remember it until after we had returned to the church, but I shrugged it off. There were far more important things that I had to do. I went to see your mother first; I couldn't keep this information from her. I'm sorry to say that it broke part of her; when I talked to her at later times, she would always refer to you in the present tense. Robbie eventually convinced her to move out west with him a few weeks later; I think it was for the best. The first and only time I tried calling her after the move, she snapped and blamed me for your death. She was going on and on about how she was going to ensure I suffered as much as she did. She had no idea that I probably was. Robbie eventually came on the phone and asked that I never call again.

"We had the funeral for you a few days after our return home. Everyone agreed that laying you to rest at the church was what you would have wanted; it was accepted that this was home for you, where you had some of your happier memories. Everyone we knew came out: Alice, Robbie and his wife. David, Serena, and Callie. Edden and Glenn. My father and sister came out. Ceri and Keasley were here. Trent and Quen showed, paid their condolences, then left. It was very weird. Hell, even Skimmer came out. I knew she was trying to be there for me, but it made me very angry. I physically threw her out; she didn't care for you at all, so she didn't deserve to be there. It was a beautiful spring day, but the way I felt, it should have been a miserable one. Everyone was wonderful and caring, but eventually they all left. Jenks and I were left, both so broken from your absence. We never realized how much you brightened our days until you were gone.

"Jenks was still large. Without you here to reverse it, we had no way to remove what you had done. Ceri was at a loss. We even tried calling Al, but he would only do it if Ceri returned to him. Guess he felt he missed out with you, so he had to get her back. Ceri tearfully said she would never go back with him. We banished him after that; Ceri, ashamed, went home. I felt sorry for Jenks, but there was nothing else that we could do. He started staying in the church after that, sleeping on the couch in the living room. After a few months, I offered him the use of your room, but he refused, saying that he could never replace you. Some things needed to stay the same.

"We settled down into a routine of work, sleep and eat. Both Jenks and I were too soul weary to want to try for any kind of life outside of that. Jax had returned home with us; he would never say what happened to Nick. I guessed that Nick died as well; I couldn't imagine he would have returned otherwise. He soon became our third, with Jenks training him on what to do. He did a good enough job, but he never came to Jenks' level of expertise. Still, it felt right to have a third, even though it was not the third we really wanted.

"As time went by, rumors kept swirling of odd things happening to the north, but never anything definite. Two months later, Glenn reaches out to me, asking if I had heard the news. Apparently, a large force of weres were attacking Detroit. In fact, some of the weres were from Detroit; they had joined the were army when it had approached. Based on reports by both the IS and the FIB branches, it was affecting all weres in the city. A few days later, Piscary told me that he had received word from the master vampire of Detroit; both the FIB and IS there had been defeated. Very few witches or vampires still lived. The last words he told Piscary were, 'they're here'.

"Soon enough, there was no news coming from Detroit. Nothing. No calls, no radio signals, nothing. It was liked it was swallowed by the earth. A few weeks after that, there were reports of the same out of Toronto. Then Rochester, New York. No one knew why, but all sources seemed to agree on one thing: the army was getting larger, not smaller.

[_"The focus…" Ivy stops to look at me, undoubtedly remembering my mention of it earlier. It was plain to see that she was waiting for more, so I went on. "The focus is an ancient werewolf demonic artifact. It allows the holder to control werewolves. I never imagined it was this powerful." Ivy nodded her head, as if it made sense, and moved on._]

"New York. Boston. Philadelphia. Baltimore. Washington, D.C. So many cities were being attacked and then going completely silent. When the army moved on to Pittsburgh and then Cleveland, it started becoming clear that we would soon be next. Panic ensued. There were runs on food and home goods; when supplies were getting low, looting began. Martial law was soon invoked, but the damage had been done. People started being mistrustful of weres anywhere. Daily reports of attacks and killings became the norm. David brought the girls to talk to me for advice; I told them to pack up and head out of town, preferably further south. The army was working its way from Cleveland to Columbus at this point, so we assumed it would come here afterwards and then to either Louisville or Indianapolis. I last heard from David about 4 years ago; they were in Miami. He had planned to go overseas from there, but I never heard back. Calls to his phone after that went dead. I hoped he made it out, but I was too afraid to know the truth.

"Once Columbus fell, the tide of panic exceeded the capabilities of the IS and the FIB. A mass exodus started, with people going in all directions, as long as it was away from Cincinnati. Werewolves were given a mandate to leave the city or there would be dire consequences. Everyone knew that any weres present would join the army; we just all assumed it was a case of joining or dying. I guess it was just the joining option after all. Most of the vampires stayed since Piscary stayed himself; very few were willing to chance running away from one of the oldest vampires still around. Piscary wanted me to join him, but I refused; I would never stay another night in his home. He might not have killed Rachel, but he wanted it done and wanted me to do it. I could not bring myself to trust him, let alone care for him. I tried to convince Kisten to come with me, but he stayed. He was still on the outs with Piscary after giving you that embalming fluid, so he was trying to make amends. I was harsh with him; I spoke in anger and said hurtful things in hopes of shaming him into abandoning Piscary, but it didn't work. I stormed away, leaving a hurt Kisten in my wake. I never saw him alive again after that.

"My parents were torn between staying with Piscary and fleeing the city. Leaving won out; Piscary had done too much to my family to warrant what amounted to a suicide pact. They tried to convince me to go with them, but I paid them as much heed as Kist did to me. I love my father and mother dearly, but Erica leaving broke my heart, which I had thought couldn't be broken again. She had always been a part of my life. I knew in the back of my mind that we would never see each other again, so it was hard to let her go. She had wanted to stay with me; I understood why. An undead mother with a father so drained from keeping her fed didn't present itself as an ideal living situation. I didn't expect to live through this; at least with my parents she might have a chance. I saw them off as they made their way east. They hoped to take a ship to either Europe or South America. I wasn't sure that either was safe in the long run, but at least now it seemed to be for the best.

"The elves disappeared one day; we got no notice that they were leaving. I guess the only person they might have contacted would have been you, mostly by Ceri, so that left us out of communication. Jenks was very worried for his family, but he wouldn't do anything because of the guilt he felt for potentially leaving me. We argued for several days over this; I was finally able to convince him to take his family and leave. He was planning on going south as David did; the milder winters would be easier to take for his younger children. It was a tearful farewell; he was my last reminder of the three of us. It was hard parting from him, as it was putting an end to that chapter of my life. Jenks wanted me to go with him, but I couldn't. I wasn't ready to leave the church yet; it was all that I had of you. I packed them up in my mother's car and sent them on their way. I was glad that they were leaving for relative safety; I wasn't sure that I could keep them safe.

"The army finally arrived at the outskirts of Cincy. The few weres that remained were seen joining the force sitting outside of the city. I knew that quite a few vampires remained, most of them going underground to wait this out. Other than that, the city was pretty deserted. A lot of looting had already occurred, but I was able to keep finding some supplies to meet my needs. I knew that if I survived this, I would need the means of growing my own food, so I hit up a lot of garden and farming supply stores. I had already managed to gather quite a bit before the army entered the city.

"Mass chaos. That's the best way I can describe it. Tons of werewolves everywhere. I stayed inside, knowing that werewolves were superstitious regarding churches. While they never tried coming in, they did destroy your garden and the majority of the headstones present. Once they had destroyed what they could, they moved on. Several times this happened, each time they didn't dare come near the church. Finally, on the third day of the siege, a man came to the church with an escort of dozen or so werewolves. He was fairly nondescript; the only thing I really noticed was a bag he kept close. He introduced himself as Walter Vincent. [_I gasped. I had hoped that he was one of those that Ivy killed, but the bastard managed to live. I nodded at Ivy to continue on_.] He asked if this was your home. Once I confirmed that it was, he laughed. Having come here to hurt the ones that cared for you, he noted that he saw the anguish in my eyes when I answered him, meaning I was punishing myself more than anything he could do. Seeing that what he wanted was already done, he turned his back on me and started down the street, the weres following. In my anger, I almost went after him, but I knew that I would get torn to pieces. In some ways, I would have welcomed death, the peace that it might bring me. However, before I could move, an image of you came to mind, shaking your head. You stopped me. I knew that you didn't approve; that's all it took.

"I knew that the direction they went was taking them towards Piscary's. I started out, but took care to watch for anyone following me. I certainly didn't want to be lured into an obvious trap. My hesitance saved my life; by the time I made it there the fight was already over. I saw dozens of bodies outside on the ground, both vamps and weres. It certainly seemed like there were more were bodies than vampires; I knew that the were army was so much larger, that they could afford the losses. I saw Vincent bend over to grab something, lifting it to show it was the head of Piscary. I was shocked. I felt no call, nor any communication from my now past master vampire. I wondered at the time if Piscary had made someone else his scion; I would never know. Still, the head of the greatest enemy in Cincy brought about cries of victory, both from the ones on two and four legs. Tossing it to the side, Vincent led his army towards downtown Cincy. I had no desire to follow them.

"Once I determined them gone, I made my way down to survey the scene. None of the living vampires were in any shape to rise as undead; second deaths were given to all. All around I saw the bodies of vampires that I had grown up with. I searched and searched, hoping to not find what I was looking for. Finally, under the bodies of 3 werewolves, I found Kist. I broke down there. The deaths of the two closest people in the world to me was too much of a shock to my system. Months went by before I came back to myself. I know that I had conversations with you and Kist; neither of you would ever answer me, just give knowing looks. I might have stayed in that state forever; it wasn't until one conversation with you I was having, the both of us in the sanctuary. I was babbling on like normal until I noticed something: your visage had changed. All previous times you looked as if you were attentive but quiet. This time you looked sad. It made my heart tremble harder than it ever has. I wondered why you were sad, but nothing I could think of in heaven would have caused that. Then I realized you were sad for me.

[_Ivy stopped for a moment, tears streaming down her face. I quickly scooted closer, taking her into my arms. She was reluctant at first, still feeling like a stone statue that was the norm for our hugs in the old days; however, she quickly melted into my embrace. Who knows when was the last loving human touch she had? She needed this just as much as I did. We stayed that way for countless minutes, as her sobs slowly ceased; all the time I was whispering soothing noises and calming words to her. I knew what would impact her the most; Ivy still had days where she felt that she was nothing but a monster. I found out how to bring her back from those feelings; it appears the same words were helping this Ivy._]

"Thank you. It's been so long since I've really spoken to anyone; my only contact with any other people are the three hunters in Covington. We really don't have civil conversation; we only talk to make sure each of us is staying on their side of the line. I never realized how freeing it would be to be able to talk about this; I've carried it around so long, it's become an almost burden to me. That night that I saw sadness in your face? It was the last time I spoke to you like that. I never saw you again, though I now realize they were probably hallucinations. Still, for you to change like that? I have always taken it as a sign from Heaven.

"Anyway, once I determined that I was the source of your sadness, I knew that you felt that I was giving up on life, which I pretty much had. You wanted me to live. I wanted nothing more but to be with you again, but it was not meant to be quite yet. When I came to myself, I found so much had changed already. The electricity was out and my phone dead. I started really working on survival first, then living. I needed short term supplies with an eye to start planning on long term projects such as food, clothing, and so on. I started raiding every house this side of the Ohio River. I checked businesses for various supplies, like cleaners, paper goods, tools, and the like. I raided the library and other places with books; I knew that I would need more knowledge on how to build anything I might need, maintaining the church, growing crops, making clothing, and so much more. You never really realize how much we depend on others to make the things we use in our daily lives until they aren't being made anymore. I could tell by the weather turning colder and the days shorter, that I was going into winter. I redoubled my efforts, focusing on clothing, food, and winter gear. Without the comfort of our heating system, the nights would get very cold soon. I found an old army sleeping bag in one of those army/navy surplus stores. That and tons of blankets kept me warm through the winter.

"The next spring, I started planting. I knew it would take a lot of food to feed me for not only today, but in the winter to come. I knew that the church lot would never be enough, so I started planting in back yards or empty lots around me. Any place I could find enough space for even a small garden was used. I started having animals eating my crops, but, as I caught and killed them, the amount of crops eaten was reduced. I tried to not let anything go to waste; I learned how to salt meat properly to keep it longer. I made some jerky as well. I wasn't happy to do so, but I even learned to eat kidneys and liver. It was nourishment from protein that I desperately needed; I didn't torture the animals nor kill them for sport, so I eventually got over my squeamishness on the subject.

"My first crop…well, it mostly failed. Part of it was the lack of rain; without running water, I relied on the weather to keep the fields wet. Part of it was my fault; I didn't realize that certain plants do better in some situations while others didn't. Over ¾ of my crop died on me. I increased my scavenging in hopes of finding more than enough food to last the winter. I mostly succeeded; I did need to ration somewhat, but I never starved. That was my hardest winter. I have to tell you: my will really wavered there. I was so close to ending it all. However, whenever I got serious about it, my mind would always flashback to that sad look on your face. It always kept me focused on surviving. The days I would fill with scavenging for various supplies or materials. The nights were for reading. While I did grab fiction to read, I also got a bunch of how-to books: sewing, knitting, quilting, food storage, smoking meats, and more. All the things we took for granted, I read up on. It helped pass that dismal winter.

"The next spring saw me actually planning out what crops go where. Once I understood which plant needed more sun versus less and the like, I had a system. I started hauling water out of the river; while I didn't want to think about what it might have in it, I knew it was really the best source for me. I had several water purifiers, so I knew the majority of the dirt and other things would get filtered out. I caught fish while I was at the river; I built a little smoking hut where I could smoke them for later meals. After assessing the foundation, I dug out the small root cellar under the living room. With a book for instruction, I was able to shore up the foundation enough to support the weight of the house while making room for the goods I would be storing there. I needed a cool dry place to store potatoes and the like. I installed rain barrels under our gutters to collect even more water. I made the fire pit and the brick oven that summer as well. I was better prepared thanks to all the reading I had done over the prior winter. I learned to can goods as well, as I had plenty of crops that was more than I needed. I was well stocked for that winter, having all the necessary foods to have a balanced diet.

"I'm sure that you saw some of the other things I added: solar panels for electricity, a small greenhouse for fresh vegetables during the winter. I only use the electricity to run the refrigerator; being able to save foods that way helped even more. I added a sewing machine to repair as much of my clothing as possible. I've tried actually making my own clothing; they came out…okay? Okay seems too good to describe what I produced. It's obvious that sewing is not a talent of mine."

[_A small giggle leaves me unexpectedly at that image; I could imagine Ivy looking at the shirt with great consternation, one eyebrow arched. Ivy looks uncertain at first, then a small smile emerges at my reaction._]

"I can't be perfect in everything, I suppose. My life now is farming and gathering. I still find the occasional cache of goods, but almost everything I eat is something I have produced. I don't venture much outside the Hollows; I suspect that those hunters try to watch my movements as well, so I am reluctant to leave the church unattended for long periods of time. It's everything to me now. I don't know if I could keep going if it wasn't here."

"Ivy…oh, Ivy."

I was stunned. Everything that had happened, everything that she had gone through…it was almost too much for me to bear. Tears had started streaming down my face during her story, tears that were my way of sympathizing for Ivy. I quickly raised my hand to her cheek; she flinched at first, but settled when she realized I wasn't doing anything hostile. It was the way life has been for her; there had been nobody on her side, no one who she could feel comforted by or be at peace with. My thumb traced small circles on her cheek, wiping away the remnants of tears that Ivy had shed during her retelling of the past 5 years. Solely on impulse, I leaned in and gave her a quick peck on her lips, forgetting momentarily that this Ivy wouldn't be expecting anything like that from me.

Ivy's lips were as soft as ever, but unmoving under my lips. I suddenly realized why she wasn't responding; I disengaged myself from Ivy and backed away a little. I had no real idea (but I did have some suspicions) about how Ivy was doing mentally. When we first started living together, I really pushed her beyond the limits of her control sometimes. Ivy would frequently have to barricade herself inside her room or leave the church entirely when I was being too tempting a target. How this Ivy would handle herself after years alone could be even worse. We only had a little ambient light from the fire in the living room, so all I could make out was her outline; I couldn't use her eyes to gauge her current emotional state.

"I am so sorry, Ivy. I did that without thinking. If you need me to leave, I can. I wasn't trying…I mean, I normally…wait, this isn't normal, at least for you…crap on toast. Ugh." I sighed heavily, trying to figure out the best way to tell Ivy why someone who never showed any interest in her is suddenly locking lips with her. It was weird and convoluted and very saddening, but some good did come of those events. It's just that those events never happened here, so it seemed that I pounced on Ivy for no reason and no warning. And, to boot, all this time that I'd been trying to work through this, Ivy was sitting there with no response.

"Let's try this again. I'm sorry if what I did set off your instincts. I know enough to not leave the room right now, as you might start chasing me. We can talk our way past this. To be blunt, well, Ivy, my Ivy, and I came together during a particularly trying time for both of us. We both needed each other so much then; it was only natural for me to start seeing her differently than I had been. We started a blood balance first, knowing that we could share emotions during blood sharing. We helped each other overcome our trials and troubles, coming to fully love the other at the time. It wasn't long before we were sharing more than blood. Now, whenever I see Ivy hurting like I did you, it's my first nature to try to help her get past those feelings. That's why I kissed you; it's like second nature to me now."

While I was speaking, I noticed that she had jerked back at my mention of blood balances. If I…well, this Rachel, died before Ivy reached Mackinaw, we had never shared blood. Here, Ivy and Rachel were little more than friends, even though Ivy had wanted more from the beginning. What I had described earlier today, about what happened that first night, was probably the closest that Ivy had been to getting what she wanted from Rachel. I knew, based on what Ivy told me later, that it was little more than pure sex that she had wanted that night, but it slowly changed to love over time. This Ivy would never see those things occur; she had lost her Rachel before they had had the chance to share anything.

A thought occurred to me then. "Ivy, you've haven't mentioned any other person besides those hunters, which you said that you don't associate with them. How are you getting blood right now?"

Ivy turned her ahead away at my words, leading me to gently and slowly bring my hand up to guide her head back to me. While I couldn't see her details, I knew Ivy's vision was good enough to see my face clearly. I rubbed the backs of my fingers along her cheek, something that my Ivy admitted was very calming to her. Ivy sighed at my touch and slowly leaned into my fingers. There was another light sigh before she spoke.

"In the beginning, I found a few vamps that had managed to avoid detection by the were army, some underground, some just lucky. We met occasionally to share blood. As time passed, one by one, they started disappearing. As none of us knew where the others lived (we kept it that way on purpose), we had no idea if they moved on or were killed. The last vamp I saw was nearly two years ago."

A shot of fear bolted through me, so afraid that she had gone too long without blood; I had to wonder if she were crazy from being deprived. I quickly doused that fear; it undoubtedly made her instincts jump even further up a road that I didn't want Ivy on. "Ivy, how have you survived two years without blood? I know you had that blood diet from before we met, but it was more a test of will versus Piscary than anything. Have you been drinking from other things?"

The room was starting to lighten; dawn was approaching us quicker than I thought. I guess I had been listening for long enough that the night slipped away from us. I could start making out her face; to my surprise, Ivy looked a little guilty at something. Before I could even start to ask what she was thinking, Ivy started speaking.

"I…" a large sigh emerged from her lips, "I started biting myself. Yes, we are told not to do so; it is said that the taste of your own blood is very vile and disgusting. I can verify that that is quite true. Still, there was no one else who could be a blood donor for me, so I kept to it. I had hoped that, with time, the taste would become less repugnant, but it never has." She pulled up her left sleeve to show the multiple bite marks on her arm. Even in the low light levels, I could make out several bite marks present on her arm. "The marks take longer to heal than normal wounds. In addition, I don't get the blood ecstasy that I would from other vampires. Unfortunately, only human or Inderlander blood will do; I tried drinking blood from a deer I caught, which I promptly threw up. I knew then that my own supply was the only source for me to go to. I had to keep a good supply of brimstone around, as my blood would need replenishing in quick fashion if I were to keep up appearances. Thankfully, Trent kept good notes on where his labs and distributors were. I was able to find several pallets of brimstone in brick form. A daily drink made from brimstone and the little tea I have left helps me keep active."

My tears had started up again at her words. The lengths this poor woman had had to go to to just meet the needs that she thought dead me wanted was just saddening. I knew right then and there that there was something I could do to help her out. Maybe it was my reminder of things my Ivy went through that spurred these thoughts. Maybe this was my way of healing this Ivy of what she had experienced due to the missing presence of her Rachel. At any rate, I knew that there was never any possibility that I wouldn't offer this to her.

"Ivy, my Ivy and I shared everything." A small, seductive smile made its way onto my face, as I reached out for her hands. "Since you are Ivy, I feel like I can share these things with you. Do you feel like I would be safe with you?" Ivy gave me a slow yet firm nod, which gave me a quick warm thrill that flowed throughout my body. I quickly pulled her close to me, slowly kissing my way up her shoulders to her neck. Once I reached her ear, I whispered these words to her: "Then you can have me, body and blood, for tonight. Let me show you the love that you've been denied."


	5. Chapter 4 - I Am Under No Obligation

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it, nor am I associated with KH or her publishing company. I am not making any money off of this publication. I'm just playing in the sandbox.**

**Chapter 4 – I am Under No Obligation to Make Sense to You**

_November 18, 2012_

I awoke to sunlight streaming into Ivy's bedroom, deliciously sore in all the right places. I felt a little woozy from blood loss, but Ivy was surprisingly very cautious and gentle with me when biting. I rolled over to snuggle up to her, but found her side of the bed empty. I sat up in the bed, frowning. I looked around the room for her, but she had apparently left the room silently enough to not disturb me. You would think that I would be used to that, but it still disturbed me every single time. I took a moment to inspect Ivy's room, as I hadn't seen it last night. Like the other rooms in the church, this one had become a lot more utilitarian than before. Back at home, Ivy's room (_well, our room_) had gorgeous décor and antique furniture; it was a far cry better than my Ikea mismatched old room. Her arm chair was still present but had been moved in front of a window. A set of metal shelves had taken its place, going all the way to the ceiling, with a variety of jars and plastic containers on them. The brief glance I gave it showed a lot of household supplies, from medications and medical supplies to soaps and shampoos to toothbrushes and toothpaste. It was like a home based pharmacy sitting in her bedroom.

Her dresser was still present, with her collage of pictures on top. I smiled at the various pictures present, even the one with Kisten. While I still held fond memories of him, my heart was full of love for only one person: Ivy. Beside the pictures was an urn; it was different from the one we had at home, but I suspected it served the same purpose. Kisten wanted to be cremated at his death, so I would be surprised if Ivy didn't honor his wish here. I can't imagine Ivy doing anything differently for her first love and oldest friend. Despite what people thought of her, Ivy was invested in the few relationships that she held. It was easy to think differently, as she often put forth a stoic demeanor when dealing with acquaintances and strangers. To those she loved, she became a joyous person, with an infectious laughter and a beautiful smile. I had to wonder if this Ivy was capable of feeling these things after what she had endured here.

My gaze came upon a set of clothing at the end of the bed. I crawled down the bed to look at them; it was a simple pair of jeans and a shirt, plus functional undergarments, just the type to wear when running errands. Both outer garments showed that patching and sewing had been done to them; undoubtedly it was easier to fix up older clothes than make new ones from scratch. They appeared to be close enough to my size. This Ivy (_yes, after last night, I knew this wasn't my Ivy or world_) was a lot more toned than my Ivy; I definitely felt how hard her muscles were last night. Her breasts were smaller than what I was used to, so her clothing was more in my size range than my Ivy's were. I enjoyed being with this Ivy last night; it reminded me a lot of my first time with my Ivy. Just like I was then, this Ivy was hesitant and indecisive during our lovemaking. It was sweet, but at the same time I wanted her to be more active. Still, I was patient enough to coax her into opening up and enjoying the experience. I hoped she was doing okay today…

Leaving the clothes where they were, I moved over to the shelves. I knew I would need a toothbrush, so I appropriated one. I waited to see what was in the bathroom, figuring I could always come back to get anything else I might need. I left her room, only to see my bedroom door open. I approached the threshold and glanced inside. Ivy was there, sitting on the floor in a lotus position. Her eyes were closed, undoubtedly in meditation of some kind. Knowing that she knew I was there, I decided to wait a few moments to see if she would acknowledge me or not. I didn't wait long; she glanced over at me while gracefully rising from the floor. I gave her a smile but she had a trouble look on her face.

"What's wrong?" I inquired. She had the wall up right now, at which I was not surprised. This Ivy hadn't gotten the chance to get to know me better than my Ivy; she was still trying to get used to what we are, let alone the fact that I was actually here. I didn't envy her emotions right now. I could almost see the wheels turning in Ivy's head, as if she were contemplating the best way to break bad news to me.

She opened her mouth but closed it quickly. A minute went by while I waited patiently for her. (_Yes, patiently. I am capable of it sometimes._) While I am still very impulsive, I was learning to be more patient; being with Ivy was having a huge impact of my view of life. I had gradually come to feel that I didn't need to live an extravagantly full and dangerous life every day; I didn't have to take these huge risks to feel alive. Ivy helped me with this outlook on life, while I am sure I did the same for her. It was amazing how well suited we really were together.

"Thank you for last night", she whispered. I had let my thoughts wander there for a moment and had consequently almost missed her speaking. Screwing up more courage, she went on, still in a very quiet voice. "It's been a long time since I felt loved…since I actually felt any good emotions in my life. The past five years have been very hard…it's been very difficult to keep going on while alone. I haven't felt this close to anyone since Jenks took his family and left." A small smile ghosted over her face briefly, which looked beautiful. I was glad to see that smile, even if it only lasted seconds. It meant that the Ivy I love was still in there, that she didn't have to sacrifice all that she was in order to survive.

I moved closer to her, taking her hands into mine. "Ivy, I am happy to be here for you. I love Ivy and, since you are Ivy, just not the one I am used to, I love you. I hope to show you that love while I am here."

Instantly I cringed inwardly, regretting my words, as I saw the all too familiar emotional wall come back up. I spoke without thinking, without considering that my leaving would be hurtful. I had barely gotten here and I was already talking about going away, leaving her in the same position she was in before. No, it would be worse; she would have gotten a taste of what she was denied, only to lose it again. I started to apologize, only to realize I was now alone in the room. I wasn't totally surprised to see that she had rushed off with vampire speed; she obviously didn't want to be around someone as inconsiderate as me. The only words I heard from the back of the church were "there's a basin of water in the bathroom for you". It was nothing less than I deserved for my insensitive words.

_Great_, I thought to myself. _I should be used to the taste of my foot, as it so often ends up in my mouth._ Sighing, I looked around my now empty bedroom. Like I had seen last night, my room looked exactly as if I was still alive and staying here. There were still clothes lying on the floor awaiting a wash; my bed was unmade as usual. All my makeup was jumbled up together in the basket atop my dresser, sitting beside the wide assortment of perfumes that Ivy had bought for me, in hopes of dampening my scent. I took a closer look at my dresser to see it was dust free. In fact, everything on my dresser was clean. Ivy had apparently wanted to keep the appearance of my room the same while still keeping a clean home. I wouldn't be surprised if the clothes and sheets were laundered regularly and then put back in their rightful places.

Shrugging, figuring I could get answers later, I gently closed the door to my bedroom and made my way to my bathroom. Upon opening the door, my nose was assaulted with a very harsh, chemical smell. I was a little shocked to see it had been converted to a laundry room. It looked like Ivy had started used an old timey washboard with a large basin. Several cords flowed above the room, ready to hang laundry, most likely in winter. I swiftly closed the door, unable to take the smell for very long. I turned to Ivy's bathroom, finding the basin of water on her vanity. There was a green bar of soap beside the basin, along with a straight edge razor and a washcloth. I guessed that, after four years, the supply of razor blades and disposables had dried up. I picked up the soap, hoping for a nice cucumber or green tea flavor, but was sadly disappointed to find it a bar of Irish Spring. Still, I was sure Ivy had had it worse, so I could soldier on. I took off the nightshirt that Ivy had given me, ready to scrub the sweat and grime that had accumulated over the past two days.

Feeling somewhat refreshed after my sponge bath and quick shaving (just to keep me from looking like a were), I wrapped the towel around me and went back to get dressed. (_I had briefly thought of going into my room and picking something out of my room, but I decided against it. She obviously considered it as a sanctum; my presence here was unsettling enough, that I shouldn't disturb something that she went to great lengths to maintain_). While the sponging got the crud off of me, it never could take the place of a nice warm shower or, even better, a hot water soak in Ivy's tub, preferably with Ivy. Still, things weren't so bad; apparently Ivy had become quite the survivalist because of these strange circumstances. I still found it hard to believe that Walter Vincent was capable of running this show. While he did a good job of getting the various packs into a round at my challenge, it would seem even harder to be able to take control of all of the packs he encountered, especially the ones like Detroit or Pittsburgh or any of the other major cities. How was he feeding them? What were the logistics of moving such a huge army? How far away could the focus influence them? Of course, I never really saw what the focus could potentially do. Between being mailed to me, sitting in my freezer, and destroyed to have the spirit come into my body and eventually David's, the focus was never really used to much effect. Beyond David accidentally turning Serena and Callie into weres, it was essentially sitting unused in David. Maybe it did have the power to do all of this. If so, getting the focus away from Vincent would put a kibosh on the whole thing. I was just hoping that he wasn't getting any outside help, as it would be even tougher to get the damned thing out of his greedy paws. _Heh_, I thought, shaking my head incredulously. _It was so ingrained in me to try to fix things, especially situations where I was involved or at fault. However, taking on an army while alone was a sure way to die quickly_. I smiled ruefully, drying off my hair before getting dressed.

I made my way down the hall to the kitchen, my stomach grumbling. I really hadn't eaten much since arriving here; I can honestly say that hunger had been pushed out of my mind by the shock of Ivy's words last night. I was still trying to come to terms with what this world was like, how it had gone so wrong just because I died. Yes, even to me that sounded extremely self-aggrandizing but I couldn't see it any other way. Only Nick knew what the focus was until he told me, and that was only after we had rescued him. So, if Nick and I died, no one would be able to understand that it was an extremely powerful relic that allowed Vincent to control werewolves. Anyway, that problem is far away (_way out in San Fran_!), and right now my stomach was ready to do serious harm to anyone in its way to food.

I came into the kitchen, viewing again the changes that had been made to what I often felt as my kitchen. I wasn't bitter that Ivy made changes according to her needs; I just felt a strong, possessive feeling to what I felt belonged to me (_a feeling that took me awhile to admit to, as I was always accusative of Ivy of the same_). To my surprise, I saw a plate of food on the island with a glass of water ready for me. Apparently Ivy was forgiving of me, if she was able to make sure that I was taken care of. It was a quality she shared with my Ivy, as my Ivy had quite frequently forgiven me of my many mistakes and insensitive words. I walked up to the island, seeing to my delight a plate full of fruits with some nuts and carrot sticks. Some of the fruit was fresher, like the apples, whiles others were canned or preserved. The nuts were either pecans or walnuts, both of which grew plentiful in the area. I knew one neighbor had a pecan tree in their backyard, because the wife would bring us pecan pies occasionally until my whole "black witch" status came about. I dug into my meal, savoring the tastes and textures of food that was fresher than stale candy bars or crackers. In my haste to start eating as quick as I could, I missed seeing the hunk of bread nearby with a jar of honey by its side. I tore off a chunk of the bread and dolloped some honey onto it, eating it with relish. I was surprised at how good the bread tasted, as I knew that it had to have been made by Ivy. _Quite the little domestic woman you've become_, I thought coyly. My Ivy would object quite strenuously if I had made that comment to her, so I knew better to say it here. I was still suitably impressed by how much she had changed, but, as it is often said, necessity is the mother of invention.

While eating, I took a few minutes to survey the kitchen. Gone were the stoves and ovens; it looked like Ivy had taken the time to build a cabinet in place of one that took up the space perfectly. I wouldn't be surprised if it was loaded with food or the like; Ivy was anal at home, so I'm sure that Ivy here was the same. The other had a wine refrigerator in its place that was currently empty. I did see a large metal canister standing over by the sink, a spigot on the lower end giving away its function as a water container. There was a plastic bucket beside that canister, possibly filled with more water. Our old refrigerator was gone, replaced by a large restaurant style double door fridge. I could hear a quiet humming coming from it, so I knew that the power she gained from the solar panels was keeping it running.

I finished my quite tasty meal, leaving nothing but a clean plate behind. I felt sufficiently full, quelling the empty feeling of hunger that I had endured the past 2 days. Washing the last of it down with my water, I brought my dirty dishes over to the sink, setting them inside. Ivy would normally chide me for not washing them immediately, but I figured that, with the water off, dishes waited to be washed in groups now. Besides, Ivy was used to me leaving dishes in the sink. _Well, at least I thought she was_. I refilled my glass with water from the canister, marveling at the crisp taste of it. I would have killed for a cup of coffee, but water looked like the rule of thumb here. The coffee machine wasn't even present.

I had heard Ivy working outside while I ate, so I made my way to the living room, grabbing my shoes where I had left them last night. Sliding my feet in, I opened the back door to find the love of my life, Ivy, sitting at what looked to be a grindstone, continually turning the wheel at a slow but even rate. I smiled at the sight of her domesticity, amazed that she had changed so much due to her circumstances. I supposed it was no different than anyone else would be; you'd either learn to adapt or you would die. Scavenging would only take you so far, as my diet for the past two days can attest. It was actually surprising that I found as much as I did while scavenging myself; I can't believe that what I found was overlooked, especially when food was so scarce. Shrugging my shoulders, I figured I could ask Ivy about that and other things. Hopefully she's not so upset over my words that she won't really talk to me.

Walking over to her side, I looked at what she was grinding, seeing wheat being slowly ground into flour. Wow! She hadn't been kidding when she said that she had to learn a lot of things. "Ivy," I started, "you create your own flour? Doesn't that require a lot of wheat to do so?"

Ivy stopped what she was doing and looked up at me. I was disappointed to see the mask firmly in place on her face, showing her reticence to share her emotions with me. "I have a few fields that are growing wheat, the biggest one being down Augustine Street where the old packaging plant was. I try to store as much wheat or flour as I can; I'm sure you saw all of the glass jars or tins I had on the shelfs. It's been a real blessing to find as many jars as I have; many people had them in their garages or cabinets full of knickknacks or the like. I did find the house of a pagan; she apparently loved to collect various things and put them in jars on her shelves. Some of them were very odd, but I guess no different than what you use in your spelling.

"Bread can be a real filler when food is lean otherwise. I don't have enough flour to have bread all the time, but usually once a week I will get to fire up the oven out here to make a loaf." She pointed over to a large clay oven on one side of the church, piles of wood sitting next to it. "This is my third year growing wheat; I have a few fields for spring wheat vs winter wheat. I've even got a manual pasta maker that allows me to make spaghetti, linguini and the like. I'm glad that Kisten taught me how to make a good sauce all those years ago; while my spices are running low, I still have enough to make a good pot of spaghetti now and then."

"The competition for Homemaker of the Year is heating up, apparently," I commented wryly. "You've done well for yourself. I wouldn't think otherwise of you; I, on the other hand, would be out scrounging for anything, because I could never get this organized. I'm really impressed, Ivy."

A small upturn of her lips was the only reaction I received, which made me somewhat sad. I was happy that I could get even that much, but it still reminded me that Ivy hadn't had any positive social interactions in years. The fact that my compliments would make her feel validated, a feeling she probably didn't experience much anymore, was both pleasing and depressing. I'm sure she would feel a sense of accomplishment over her work, but Ivy always craved that feeling of love and trust that could only come from another. My Ivy had slowly gotten to the point where she could be happy on her own, but this Ivy never had that chance. After both my and Kisten's deaths, she most likely retreated inwardly. With no one left close to her, she'd be in the same position that she was before my…err, Rachel's death. The worst part is, that I wasn't planning to be here long term, so these affirmations would go away eventually and she would be back at square one.

Unfortunately, before I could make any decisions about what to say or do, a more urgent matter required my attention. "Ivy," I asked, "I know there is no indoor plumbing, but where do you, you know, go?" I felt my cheeks getting red; the price to pay for having fair skin. It really wasn't embarrassing to need to go, but having to ask another adult where to go was always a bit awkward.

Ivy stopped her grinding of the wheat and looked up at me again, the mask still firmly in place. "There's an outhouse on the side of the church." She pointed to the far side of the church. "Just toss some kitty litter in after you go; it really helps keep the smell down." I smiled my thanks, hurriedly turning to the source of my relief.

Coming back minutes later, feeling much emptier, I asked earnestly, "So, Ivy, what do you have planned for the day? Is there anything I can do to help out?" I figured that I could at least be of some assistance while trying to figure out how to get home. I didn't want to be a leech, but I also wanted to have some time to look at books, especially the library at the University. Hopefully they had something I could use. Without my scrying mirror, I couldn't even speak to Al. The lines felt too strange to want to try anything really powerful, like line jumping, so I had to find different options. I'd need to hit up all the magic shops to see if they happened to have any kind of herbs or wands or the like, anything that might be of help. As it was, earth magic was currently out, with no easy access to the materials that are needed. Ley line magic was no good either; I didn't trust the lines to do much of anything serious. Curses were essentially a combination of the two, which left it hanging as well. My life, in a nutshell.

Ivy looked up from the grinding machine, having restarted in my absence. "After I am done with this, I plan to make a water run. We haven't had a lot of rain recently, so the rain barrels aren't nearly as full as I like them." She nodded over to one corner of the church, where one of several barrels sat beneath a gutter. She continued, "I do have a spare bike and wagon that we can take a second barrel to the river. With you here, we will need more water. I know you probably aren't used to rationing, but we really must use only what we need. Even the water we use in bathing or laundry is recycled. I try to waste as little as possible; you never know when and how long that little has to last you. While I do have plenty for myself, I didn't plan on a second person. I need to store more away for this coming winter."

With that, Ivy lapsed into silence, concentrating completely on her task of grinding wheat. I was a bit chagrinned when I realized how much my presence was affecting Ivy, both negatively and positively. Being a child of the modern era, I really never thought about things like water or food or clothes. If you needed something, you went to the store and bought it. Not here though, not anymore. Things still came with a price, but one that was higher than I'd ever known. While I was here, I needed to do as much as I could to alleviate the burden on Ivy. I was already taxing her resources with just my presence. Ivy wasn't always the best with change (_we shared that in common_); being alone for so long undoubtedly exacerbated the situation. I really needed to think my way through everything here, a trait that I was not used to exercising.

I looked around, hoping to do something I could help with, but there wasn't much apparent. Her crops were calling to me; crops always needed weeding. So, I headed to the row of broccoli I spotted, nestled in between a row of cabbages and a row of squash. Good thing that I loved vegetables as much as I did; I expected that they would be staples of my diet while I was here.

Being in my garden at home was always a satisfying experience, and it was no different here. Once I started in, I quickly became immersed with only the crops themselves being different than normal. I was used to weeding in my witch's garden, full of all the ingredients I needed for my spelling. This garden was far more practical, all being grown for eating. Still, I quickly became hypnotized with my work and didn't notice that the grinding noise had stopped. When it finally did penetrate my brain, I looked up to see Ivy with that same small smile on it. "What?" I asked petulantly, as always disturbed how she could sneak up on me so effortlessly.

"We need to leave soon," Ivy answered, not breaking her smile. "The sun will be setting in a couple of hours, and I prefer to do this while it is still light. Work here can wait until we are back." Ivy couldn't seem to keep her eyes on mine, quickly fleeting around her field of vision. I didn't know if she was still having a problem accepting my presence or if she was actually paranoid after all these long years of solitude. By no means did I feel threatened or in danger; there was no way that I could ever feel that way around Ivy anymore. I knew that I couldn't think of this Ivy like my Ivy. It was easy to do so, but it might be dangerous as well. I didn't for a second think that Ivy would harm me, but her instincts may forget that I am here.

"OK, can I get cleaned up first?" I looked at my quite dirty hands, assured that my face looked the same.

Ivy pointed towards a barrel closer to the outhouse. "That barrel there is strictly for washing up." Ivy quickly went on after seeing my stricken face. "I only use it to water plants afterwards; I have separate barrels for drinking. I do have a purifier that I run the water through before drinking. I have managed to find enough water purifiers so far; I take the filters out and clean them regularly enough to extend their life." She paused a moment, her eyes looking around sharply, before settling back on me. "Go wash up. We can leave soon." With that, I saw her speed off in the direction of the front of the church. Figuring she was getting ready for the water run, I shrugged my shoulders and moved to the washing barrel. I splashed water on my face and thoroughly washed my hands and arms. I would love nothing better than to wash my hair thoroughly, as the past few days had made my hair a hugely tangled mess. (_OK, maybe I would love a coffee more right now, but fixing my hair seemed a more reachable goal_.) I tried brushing my hair out a bit this morning, but I eventually just gave up on it. I probably had a better chance at finding the ingredients to make a straightening charm than I would ever get this straightened on my own.

Ivy came back, 2 hoodies in hand. Whatever had happened in the front was apparently inconsequential; I would assume that she would have said something if it was major. I took one of the hoodies and tied it around my waist. If we were biking there, I figured that I would work up enough energy to stay warm while cycling. We went to the shed in front, which is where I used to park my car or Ivy her bike. Inside were multiple shelves with tools of all sorts. There were various planting tools as well. However, we were here for the 2 mountain bikes with attached wagons. On each wagon was a large plastic drum, identical to ones that Ivy was using for rainwater, only somewhat smaller. If I had to guess, it was probably a third to a half the size of those gathering rainwater from the gutters. Ivy started rolling a bike out backwards; I followed suit once the way was clear. I had ridden bikes before, when I was a kid, so I figured that this would be just like, well, riding a bicycle again.

I'd like to think that I am in good shape. I run frequently, when I'm not busy on… runs. After we came together, Ivy and I had started sparring again, which almost always ended up in sexy times with my favorite vamp. There was nothing like getting sweaty with close contact to inflame a vamp's senses. She kept me on my toes for sure, for which I was always grateful. I kept a watch on my caloric intake, trying to eat healthy so I wouldn't put on weight. While I still had a good 120 years of life (_potentially_), I didn't want to do things now that I would regret down the road. Ivy helped here as well, swaying me from temptation with promises of a much better treat when we were alone. Sorry, the best piece of carrot cake in the world would never compare to the obsidian haired goddess who blessed me with her presence.

So, as I was saying, I consider myself to be in good shape, toned with good musculature. Yet, here I was, huffing and puffing on this torture device that Ivy inflicted on me. Getting to the river was easy enough; once we were there, I found that there was a smaller barrel inside the bigger one, making it easier to fill the bigger one. This was somewhat of a chore, going back and forth with a heavy barrel on one trip, but nothing I couldn't handle. It was the trip back to the church that was killing me.

Most of Cincinnati and the Hollows are on pretty flat surfaces. Once you start moving away from the city centers, you start slight inclinations to the hills that surround the city. While the church wasn't on a hill, it was definitely in the _slight inclinations_ area. So, we were starting to go up a hill, toting behind a 55 gallon barrel of water.

Of course, Ivy had it easy. Not only is she definitely more buff here (_which I was completely shocked about, but happily enjoyed the benefits from_), but she also has her vampiric strength to help her out. I could see that she was a bit frustrated with my slow speed; she's probably used to getting the water home in a far more expeditious manner. I'd see her glancing back at me occasionally, a blank look on her face. Despite her not showing her displeasure, Ivy, no matter which one, could not hide her feelings from me. I had gotten used to knowing her moods without seeing them. So, yes, I knew she was irritated at me. Normally I could brush it off and see what I could do to make it better. However, now Ivy was starting to tick me off. It irritated me that she didn't have to work so much at this, that she could still ride a bike while wearing her sword on her back. Even though I didn't hear them, I knew she was huffing at the delay. While my patience in general had benefitted from being with Ivy, this Ivy was pushing all the wrong buttons. When she looked back again, I was ready to chew her out, until I noticed her face was drawn into a frown. She motioned for silence before I could ask anything, while casting about to hear something that I obviously couldn't. I pulled up beside her and managed to stop the bike, despite the momentum.

Her hand still held up for silence, she seemed to be listening for something east of us; I still hadn't managed to hear anything. _Vampiric hearing_, I thought jealously. I had the bad habit of saying what was on my mind at all times, even when I was irritated with someone, but usually only at a whisper then. Ivy, of course, could hear anything I said no matter where I was in the house, so I was frequently called out on it. Yes, my comments were usually not merited, so I was often apologizing for whatever rude thing I said. Ivy was very forgiving, provided that I initiated the making up part. (_Writing this down, it occurs to me that my comments reflect that Ivy and I were horn dogs, for lack of a better word. Well, we weren't that bad, but we were still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. Something I was hoping that would last a long time to come_…)

I saw a determined look cross Ivy's face as she turned to me. "There are people just two blocks over. Since the only ones around are those three idiots, I know they are trespassing on my land and taking my food. I need to handle this; stay here." With that, Ivy moved her bike to the side of the road, dismounted, and then disappeared in a heartbeat. Sighing, at first I thought I was torn between listening to her and going to see if I could help. Shaking my head, I shrugged my shoulders, already knowing that there was no way in hell that I would just sit here while Ivy puts herself in danger.

I pulled my bike up beside Ivy's and took off down the nearest east-west street. I heard a yelp up ahead, figuring that Ivy had already tracked one down. I ran ahead, using that yelp as a guide on which way to go. I can hear that the confrontation was going down on the next cross street, but I could't hear the words clearly yet. Deciding to not startle Ivy or the others, as it might cause panicked reactions, I slowly crept along the house at the corner of the street, peeking around the side to see what was going on.

Two men were in a standoff with Ivy, both of whom I saw yesterday when they chased me. The big one had a huge gun trained on Ivy, with the bow toting guy by his side. Whiny guy was at Ivy's feet, not moving. I couldn't tell from here if he was breathing but unconscious, or if he was dead. I'm not sure that I would care either way. From my vantage point at 100 feet or so distant, I could still tell that there was anger on both sides, simply based on the yells I was hearing along my way.

"You don't need all this damn food," Football Guy said. "You have yourself, we are three! The little bit we took won't hurt you! We need this! And we will leaving here with this, you can't stop us both! Whoever you kill, the other will nail your bitch ass!"

Oh boy. Ivy hated to be called a bitch; she took that quite personally. I knew this guy was done once he uttered that word. Unfortunately, he might be right in that she couldn't kill both before one got a shot off. I needed to step in, but I wanted it to be a surprise. I had already seen Ivy do a quick glance back; I knew that she saw or heard me there. So, Ivy might be waiting to see if I would do anything before she started in. I retreated backwards and starting going behind the houses there. Luckily, any fences that were there had been removed for her gardens. I quickly made my way down the rows to be at a point where I was behind the jerks. All the time I had been moving, Ivy had been talking, keeping their attention on her. If she put her mind to it, she could argue all day about anything that she felt she was right about. I unfortunately knew that this was the case; we had had arguments that lasted quite a while. Ivy was almost always right, but I was too mule headed to let it go easily.

I tapped a line, spindling up energy. The lines still felt weird, like they were sluggishly giving up the power I needed. It took a little longer than I liked to get enough energy to make a difference. Still, once I had enough, I looked over my targets. Football Guy was huge; I'd say he was a bit smaller than the Rock, but not a lot. Bow Guy was a lot smaller and skinnier than his friend. I didn't trust the quality of energy that I had stored in my Chi to knock the big guy out, so Bow Guy it was. I slowly started moving out of the back, enough to the side that Ivy could see me. Nodding to my target, I aligned myself to Bow Guy and let loose the energy I had been holding.

Bow Guy had apparently sensed something behind him, turning at the last moment before being hit. It didn't save him; I still nailed him straight on. Before I or Football Guy could even react, Ivy had covered the distance between her and her prey. The gun was quickly tossed away, leaving Ivy to savagely bite Football Guy in the neck. I was still twenty feet away from them, but I could feel the pheromones that she was putting off. It would have been easy to just let them relax me, but I shook them off. I knew Ivy wasn't going to let him go this time; she had me to keep safe now, so she was going to take care of any hostiles. Slowly, I walked over, trying to not startle Ivy as I approached.

"Ivy, let him go. He doesn't need to die. You've made your point. I'm sure they will go back to their neighborhood." I moved a little closer, eliciting a growl from Ivy. _Crap. She's not thinking of me as a friend, but as a competitor. I'm going to have to convince her otherwise before she drains this guy_. "Ivy, I'm not trying to take him away, I just want you to stop before you kill him. It's not necessary. He's just a stupid guy who thinks he can take whatever he wants. Don't do this, love."

Even from this distance, I could see Ivy's eyes start returning to brown from the all-encompassing black she gets when feeding. Moments later, I saw her rip her fangs from Football Guy, causing a large groan to emit from him. He hit the road hard. I could see that his neck look ravaged, with blood coming out at a faster rate than was healthy; I had to wonder if he'd survive that wound. Looking again to Ivy, I could see the blood around her mouth, dripping down her chin. Bow Guy was definitely alive; I doubt I hit him hard enough to stay unconscious for more than a few minutes. The third guy wasn't moving or making any sounds; from the slight angle of his neck, I'd guess that Ivy took him by surprise and broke his neck before he could react. I knew that she held animosity with these guys and that she had become more possessive of what she considered her own, but I wouldn't have guessed that she had become a murderer. _No_, I reminded myself, _she had been a murderer under Piscary. She climbed out of that hole because she wanted to be better than that_. Unfortunately, it looked like that she had resorted back to old ways when left alone.

"Ivy, let's go home. We've stopped them, so let them be. It's getting late; I'm sure we still have a lot to do today," I pleaded. I wasn't sure that my words were registering with Ivy. She had a wild, crazy look on her, unable to keep eye contact with me as she kept looking at the two hunters there. Football Guy was obviously not going to do anything any time soon; he looked very pale and was emitting low groans and moans occasionally. Bow Guy was starting to come to, but being hit by leyline energy took quite a bit out of you, leaving you somewhat disoriented upon waking. Obviously, neither presented a threat to us, which is why I was shocked when Ivy drew her sword and beheaded both of them quickly.

I was stunned into silence. All I could do was watch as Ivy carefully cleaned her sword of blood on a rag she had apparently brought with her. When she was done, she stood there, silently looking at the ground at my feet. I had no idea what to say. I had never seen Ivy this way; yes, she could be violent when it was called for, but she had never been this ruthless since I've known her. She seemed a completely different person than I had ever seen. Several things to say came to my mind, but were quickly discarded. Glib nor sarcasm nor anger seemed like appropriate responses to the situation. _What the hell do I do now_?

Ivy didn't seem to be experiencing any of the agony that was mine. After a couple minutes of silence, she sheathed her sword and merely stated, "Let's go." I numbly followed her down the streets back to the bikes, unable to find anything to say. It was still Ivy, but just now I was given a view into how different this Ivy was from my Ivy. It felt like I had been given a mental slap, one to which I couldn't find a response. Nothing in the story she told me gave me the idea that she could murder someone so easily. Murder… There was unfortunately no other word that I could find to describe what had happened. We finally reached the bikes and mounted them, leaving for the church with no words between us.

It was close to sunset when we finally arrived home. During the trip back, Ivy never bothered to look back at me, even to verify that I was still there. She merely kept a pace that I could keep up with and left it up to me to do so. I couldn't keep my thoughts from racing, from wondering of what else Ivy was capable, to concern over my safety with her. True, I knew she loved me, if only based on the state of my room. I seriously doubted she would ever intentionally hurt me, but now I had to question whether she was mentally stable enough to keep me safe from her if her thoughts ever went south. Yes, I was fearful of Ivy for quite a while, always afraid she wouldn't stop herself from draining me dry if she decided that I looked too tasty to pass up. I never doubted her sanity (_mostly_), so I felt that I could trust her otherwise. The big question now became, what do I do now?

Once we had unloaded the bikes (_well, Ivy unloaded them_) and stored them away, Ivy moved to the rear of the church and I followed her there. Light was dying away, so I had no idea what Ivy still hoped to accomplish before it became too dark to do anything. She immediately went to her wood pile, pulling out several logs as well as what looked like fencing. Using these, she started up her bonfire, quickly getting it to a respectable height. While it did give more light to the backyard, it did little to dispel the darkness settling in. Ivy had moved on to grinding wheat again. I had felt pretty much useless in terms of helping around the church, so I figured I could at least help with the lighting situation. I tapped the line in the backyard and summoned my light orb above Ivy. Ivy briefly glanced up and gave a small nod to me; I felt a bit better about her. Still, I had to really think over on how to proceed. I started to move closer to Ivy when I heard a voice that always sent chills to my soul.

"Well, damn my dame! It IS you, Rachel Mariana Morgan!"

_Oh shit_.

**AN - Sorry for the quite long delay in this. In addition to physical and mental issues due to current health problems, I also suffered from awful writer's block. I have rewritten this chapter at least 4 times. I just finally got inspired this past Friday on how to get this working. Thanks for reading and please leave feedback!**


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